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THE GREAT MOMENT 


MAN AND MAID 

By ELINOR GLYN 


“It is a dashingly written tale along unexpected 
lines.”— Times Star, Cincinnati. 

“There is much dialogue of a sparkling and witty 
character, knowledge of life, and genuine realism.” 
—Boston Globe. 

“A quite delightful romance.” 

—Public Ledger, Phila. 

“A book of real characters.”— The Herald, Duluth. 

“A very vivid picture of the way some of the 
French people lived in the last days before the armi¬ 
stice and immediately following it.”— St. Louis Globe 
Democrat. 

“A powerful picture of the “War of the Sexes.” 
— Bulletin, Pittsburgh. 




rHE GREAT MOMENT 


BY 

ELINOR GLYN 

AUTHOR OF “MAN AND MAID,” '^THREE WEEKS," ETC. 



PHILADELPHIA y LONDON 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 


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COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY TELLING TALES MAGAZINE 
COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 



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PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS 
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. 


FOREWORD 

The Great Moment is a story dealing with the 
study of conflicting instincts in a girl, inherited from 
a highly civilized aristocratic English father and a wild 
Russian Gypsy mother. Nadine is anything but a 
heroine! She is indeed a primitive creature in many 
respects, and so, in these tired sophisticated days, may 
be interesting on that account. The hero, Bayard 
Delaval, represents splendid American manhood. The 
public will have to say whether they think I have por¬ 
trayed him well! At all events, he is an attractive 
character, and many girls would like to meet him! Every 
scene in the book is drawn from life, and from intimate 
knowledge of such persons and such places. To me it 
would seem presumption ever to write of what I do not 
personally know. I wanted to make an American hero, 
because I have a deep respect for the young American 
spirit, which is not well enough known in Europe. So 
this is my little contribution to better acquaintance, and 
as such I leave it in the hands of my kind readers. 

New York, June, 1923 ELINOR GlyN 


6 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


face of the Madonna in the ikon gently smiled, as in 
pity at human failings. 

But now the chief of the troop called a halt, and the 
obedient girls drew back into line. Only Nada, the 
lovely, wicked, unbiddable Nada, was determined to 
go on, and when the chief seized her roughly to pull 
her back, she turned upon him and bit his arm! With 
a cry of rage the man wiped the blood with his sleeve, 
and would have beaten her; but the Englishman rushed 
forward and took her from him, and then with the 
spring of a panther she was on the table, and sweeping 
the glasses and dishes aside with her red booted feet, 
she began the maddest dance. The musicians, exalted 
to frenzy, never had played so well, and amidst a scene 
of indescribable excitement and intoxication, at last, 
exhausted, the beautiful wild thing fell back into Sir 
Edward’s arms. 

* * * * * 

And the memory of her kisses stays with him still. 
* * * * * 

Out there in the chill November sunlight he could 
see his daughter, Nadine. How like she was growing 
to Nada—what was to be done? 

***** 

Miss Blenkensop walked on a little ahead. Nadine 
was in one of her impossible moods, and it was best to 
leave the child to herself. She had stopped for a 
moment to speak to one of the gardeners, old Prodgers, 
who was sweeping the dead leaves from the lawn. 

Hester Blenkensop’s life at Pelham Court could not 
be considered as a bed of roses, in spite of the liberal 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


7 


salary she received, and the complete authority she 
exercised. The truth was that her charge, Nadine 
Pelham, had a temperament ill suited to the conven¬ 
tional standards of this admirable governess! 

Miss Blenkensop could never be quite certain what 
she meant to do next, or how any fresh aspect of even 
the most ordinary branch of knowledge she was trying 
to drum into her head, was going to affect her! But 
Sir Edward trusted her completely, and she was not 
a woman to betray a trust. 

So she stayed on year after year—buried away 
there down in the country, miles from anywhere, in a 
secluded corner of Somerset, far from the world. That 
everything was conducted with a bygone state helped 
a little. Hester Blenkensop liked state and regularity, 
but she could have wished that Sir Edward came to his 
home oftener—the responsibility of Nadine’s educa¬ 
tion and training in suitable ideas of correct behaviour 
was no light burden, and seldom touching the outside 
world made her fear that rust might accumulate. For 
she liked to feel that she was well up in modern scientific 
ideas, and she read anything that she could get hold 
of—so long as it had nothing to do with sex. Sex was 
nasty, and should be ignored, if it could not be alto¬ 
gether stamped out. No true lady should admit that 
there was such a thing! and Miss Blenkensop meant 
to take good care that Nadine Pelham never heard 
the word mentioned even. Sex, indeed! Stuff and 
nonsense, modern nervy rubbish! 

Miss Blenkensop’s face was as hard as nails; she 
was thinking that it was a great pity that the natures 
of parents should have to come out again in their 


8 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


children, instead of there having been some sensible 
plan evolved where they could all be made to suitable 
patterns. And why should the worse parent invariably 
seem to leave the indelible mark ? 

Here was Sir Edward Pelham—everything that an 
English gentleman should be—dignified, reserved, given 
to no excesses, and to think that he should have married 
a Russian gipsy, a wild creature who could neither read 
nor write! And who, in her short two years, of life 
at Pelham Court, had scandalized the whole neighbour¬ 
hood. The parson’s wife, Mrs. Gleeson, had whispered 
terrible things into Miss Blenkensop’s virgin ears, when 
she first came to Pelham, about the dead Nada! 

So what could one expect from Nada’s daughter? 

“Blenkie! Blenkie! Adolphus and Jacob have six 
lovely little fluffy babies, Prodgers tells me! I did not 
know boys could have children! ” and Nadine came up 
at a run. “ Do hurry, and I’ll take you to see them.” 

Miss Blenkensop flushed painfully; she had never 
wanted her charge to have those guinea-pigs. One 
could not be quite sure how any animal would turn 
out, even if it was called Adolphus or Jacob! But 
Nadine rushed her along until she came to the hutch 
beyond the potting-sheds, next to the stable-yard. 

The child was wild with delight. Her black curly 
hair flying in the November wind, and her eyes—“ blue 
as the fairy flax ”—brilliant with excitement. Some 
young things—all her own—whom she could play with 
presently! Where on earth could they have come 
from in the night? But there was no use in asking 
Blenkie anything! 

“ Aren’t they heavenly! ” Her voice was awed, as 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


9 


with reverential care she pushed Adolphus to one 
side, and displayed Jacob endeavoring to hide a numer¬ 
ous progeny. 

“ I am told guinea-pigs eat their young if you look 
at them, Nadine,” Miss Blenkensop remarked severely. 
“ Come away, dear, and leave them alone for the 
present.” 

Nadine’s blue eyes filled with angry tears. “ Jacob 
and Adolphus could never be cannibals, Miss Blenken¬ 
sop,” she said indignantly. 

But old Prodgers had arrived on the scene by now: 
“ It would be wiser, Miss, to leave them for a day or 
two,” he said. So, reluctantly, Nadine allowed herself 
to be taken away. 

They were going into the chapel across the lawn to 
put the wreath on Nada’s tomb, a duty performed every 
Saturday, summer and winter. But to-day the wreath 
was a particularly nice one, for to-morrow would be 
the tenth anniversary of the death of the beautiful 
gipsy. Nadine knew every bit of the carving upon the 
tomb—fine marble in excellent taste—and she had 
wondered ever since she could think what the mother 
was like who slept inside it? It seemed very confus¬ 
ing to her that they had to put flowers on a bit of stone, 
if the person beneath it could not feel or see anything, 
and was in reality up in the sky somewhere, singing 
with angels! She had argued with Blenkie about it 
often, but could get no satisfactory answer. 

“ The spirit of your mother is in heaven, my dear,” 
Miss Blenkensop always replied, feeling herself uncom¬ 
fortable at having to assert a fib: for of course such a 


10 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


person as Nada would not be up there, but down in 
a region unmentioned in polite society! 

“ Then, if mamma is in heaven, why must we put 
flowers on the tomb, Blenkie ? ” 

“ To her memory, dear.” 

“ But no one wants to remember mamma. Papa 
won’t talk of her, ever—you won’t tell me anything 
about her—Nanna never spoke of her—Augustine 
never saw her, of course. Mrs. Acton speaks of some¬ 
thing else whenever I have asked her about mamma, 
because she must have known her, since she’s been the 
housekeeper since Adam!—and you won’t let me talk 
to the housemaids, even old Mary, who was here 
when I was bom. Why must I put flowers to 
mamma’s memory ? ” 

And, driven into a comer, Miss Blenkensop replied: 

“ Because your father wishes it.” 

When she quoted Sir Edward, Nadine knew that 
this was final, and with a rebellious sigh, she usually 
abandoned the conversation. To-day she was worked 
up, the advent of the guinea-pigs’ family had excited 
her. Her father’s unexpected return last night had dis¬ 
turbed her. Life seemed a complicated affair, full of 
inhibitions. If Nadine could have worded the concen¬ 
trated essence of her soul thoughts, as she knelt by her 
mother’s tomb that November day of 1913 when she 
was nearly eleven years old, they would have expressed 
themselves in the cry of Sterne’s starling: “ I can’t 
get out—I can’t get out—” 

Meanwhile, in the library, Sir Edward was musing. 
He owed an obvious duty to the child. He must do 
everything he possibly could to crush out that unfortu- 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


11 


nate wildness in her which Blenkensop’s report showed 
every time he returned home. To surround her with 
the quietest influences, to keep her away from the world, 
no one could be better than Blenkensop, and the French 
maid, Augustine, had the highest references; but with 
the instincts she would be bound to inherit, as well as 
the beauty, of her mother, the most careful training 
would be necessary to eliminate the Russian gipsy in¬ 
stincts, and shape her into the Pelham mould. 

Sir Edward looked up to the portrait above the 
mantelpiece of an ancestor of his of Elizabeth’s time. 
They had come down in unbroken line—always re¬ 
spected—always admirable members of their rank and 
name. And now an accident had robbed him of his 
dead brother’s son, a promising boy—and the whole 
thing would go to a distant cousin, Eustace by name— 
one whom he had never seen. Oh! what a tragedy that 
he himself had no son. And yet—and yet—nothing 
bad was known of Eustace, a worthy youth just enter¬ 
ing the diplomatic service, and if Nadine had been a 
boy? Who knows?—and here Sir Edward sighed 
again; and, rising, rang the bell. 

“ Tell Miss Blenkensop to come to me,” he said to 
the footman who answered it, “ as soon as she 
comes in.” 

And presently the door opened and the governess 
entered, a little breathlessly. 

“ What have you to report about my daughter, may 
I ask, this time ? ” 

Sir Edward was always sententious, and if he 
mixed in the world in London and Paris in an up-to- 


12 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


date way, none but the ceremonious manners of a 
bygone time were seen in his home. 

Miss Blenkensop had nothing special to complain 
of—only Nadine’s irrepressible personality—unac¬ 
countable fits of depression, and equally unaccountable 
bursts of gaiety. Her worst action in the last fortnight 
had been to pour her bedroom jug of water down upon 
the Reverend Mr. Gleeson, who had come up with some 
papers about the village concert, and was in conver¬ 
sation with herself, just under Nadine’s window! 

“ I hate Mr. Gleeson,” was all Nadine would say 
when reproached and scolded about it, and nothing 
would make her apologize! “ 4 1 shan’t say I am sorry ’ 
is what she said, Sir Edward. ‘ He has no business 
to have such a red nose! ’ ” 

For a moment the flicker of a smile came into 
Nadine’s parent’s eyes. It was certainly true Mr. 
Gleeson was no beauty, and his nose was a beacon well 
known all over the parish, but this was not sufficient 
reason for him to have had a bedroom jug of cold 
water poured over him on a chilly November day! 

“ I smoothed the matter over as best I could at the 
rectory, Sir Edward. I am afraid I was obliged to 
tell an untruth, and say it was an accident, but I could 
not take Nadine to church on the Sunday after, for 
she went into fits of laughter whenever Mr. Gleeson 
was mentioned, and put out her tongue in a most 
unseemly way, and I really feared it might happen in 
the sacred edifice; but some guinea-pigs that she was 
given by Johnny Parker, the new head keeper’s son, 
took her attention off the matter, and now she has for¬ 
gotten about it ”; then Miss Blenkensop blushed 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


13 


uneasily. “ I had hoped the animals were males, Sir 
Edward, and Nadine had christened them ‘ Adolphus ’ 
and ‘ Jacob/ but unfortunately Jacob has had a large 
family, and Prodgers gave me to understand that these 
unpleasant incidents occur very frequently among these 
species of the animal world/’ 

“ You had better dispose of them quietly, Miss 
Blenkensop,” and Sir Edward turned to the window, 
where beyond Nadine could now be seen taking jumps 
backwards and forwards over the big broom made 
of twigs with which old Prodgers had been sweeping 
the lawn. Its end was propped on to a garden bench, 
and the old man himself balanced the handle to make 
a hurdle—raising it higher and higher each time. Then 
when she had had enough of this, with a wild whoop 
she kicked the broom into the air, and was off racing 
round and round the beautiful velvety lawn, which 
stretched away down to the Italian garden, calling to 
the two new sheep-dogs with shrill shouts of joy. 

“ So full of life! ” her father said with unconscious 
admiration. And then he sighed. 


CHAPTER II 


M USIC had a powerful effect upon Nadine, espe¬ 
cially certain kinds. Sir Edward had a party 
to shoot his large coverts early in the December of 
1913, and among them an attache from the Russian 
Embassy, Prince Kurousov—a rather decadent wit, 
with a pretty talent for the violin. Nadine, who came 
down in the afternoon for tea with Blenkie, took a 
violent fancy to him; she sat as close to him as she 
could, and gazed up into his face, and when he began 
playing Russian music in the crimson drawing-room 
after tea, it seemed to Sir Edward that the spirit of 
Nada lived again in their child. 

Prince Kurousov played something with the “ Red 
Sarafane ” wailing through it, and he remembered that 
this was the very air which the gipsies had woven into 
their music to please the Grand Duke, and which Nada 
had danced to, on that unforgettable night when she 
first melted into his arms. Nadine jumped up from 
her seat beside Miss Blenkensop, and, picking up her 
little skirts, began to pirouette about the room, all sense 
of shyness or decorum quite forgotten in her pleasure. 
The guests were delighted, and full of admiration. 
Only Lord Crombie looked on with a glass fixed in his 
knowing old eye, and Sir Edward winced with the 
pain of his memories. 

“ You’ll probably have to be careful with that child, 
Ned,” Lord Crombie said—they were companions in 
the diplomatic service, and very old friends. “ Watch 
14 


THE GREAT MOMENT 15 

her movements, she has not learned these from her 
dancing mistress! ” 

Nadine’s little shoulders were fluttering in a rhyth¬ 
mic fashion, and there was a good deal more stamp 
than tiptoeing in her gyrations. A wild delight came 
over Prince Kurousov. 

“ Beautiful little Russian gipsy! ” he said, throwing 
down his violin and picking her up in his arms. But 
Nadine turned upon him with a fierce gesture, and 
showed all her strong white teeth. If he had not let 
her go that instant she would have bitten his arm. 

A great anger came over Sir Edward—anger and 
fear—and he advanced towards the child with a look 
in his grey eyes which seemed to freeze the blood in 
her veins. 

Before he could speak to her, Lord Crombie linked 
his arm in his, and drew him towards the group of men 
by the fireplace—while Lady Crombie stretched out 
her hands to the little frightened creature, and drew 
her to her side, telling her lightly how charmingly she 
had danced. Nadine pulled herself together, the years 
of stern rule and discipline re-asserted their influence, 
and she sank upon the sofa beside this kind friend 
trembling all over, but bravely keeping back her tears. 

“ Papa—did not think I danced—well,” she whis¬ 
pered, with a sob in her rather deep voice, which always 
had a husky note in it. “ He was very angry—oh! 
dear Lady Crombie—why? ” 

“ I think you imagined it, darling; we all admired 
you so much. Did the Russian mistress teach you, 
who was teaching my little nieces in London this 


16 


THE GREAT MOMENT 

spring? but you have caught the spirit of the Russian 
dancing far better than they did.” 

“Russian? No, no one has ever taught me any¬ 
thing Russian. I have an old Frenchman from Yeo- 
minster every Saturday, Monsieur Peritet; we do all 
the positions and valses and one steps, but when Blenkie 
plays in the evenings I always dance by myself, and 
I make the dances up as I go on.” 

Lady Crombie took the little olive-ivory face in her 
hands, and looked kindly into the blue eyes. 

“ Are you lonely, dear little girl,” she asked ten¬ 
derly, “here in this great house, with no one to play 
with but your dogs ? ” 

The tears welled up slowly now and brimmed over. 

“ I don’t know; I suppose I am. I wouldn’t be if 
everything I want to do was not wrong.” 

Some of the other guests came up then and joined 
them, and Lady Crombie could say no more; but when 
her husband came into her dressing-room as she was 
resting before dinner, she said to him: 

“ I think Ned is making a terrible mistake in the 
way he is suppressing that child; she wants love and 
kindness and understanding, not Miss Blenkensop all 
the time.” 

Lord Crombie warmed his back at the fire: he was a 
whimsical old bird, and nothing much escaped him. 

“ There are two methods of dealing with savages; 
you beat them into submission, and they think you are 
a god; or you arouse their devotion, and they serve 
you as a slave. Nadine is half-savage, you know, and 
Ned is not the kind of nature to call forth much devo¬ 
tion—dear old pal that he is.” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


17 

“ I am glad you said half savage,” Lady Crombie 
retorted indignantly. “ She is the sweetest, most tender¬ 
hearted little creature, and anything could be got out 
of her by sympathy and love; but they will drive her 
to wickedness before she is grown up—unless they crush 
the life and spirit out of her quite.” 

“ Ned has some pretty terrible memories with the 
mother, you know; nothing would tame her, she dis¬ 
graced him at every moment, but he adored her to 
the end.” 

“ The more reason, then, that he should try to under¬ 
stand her child.” 

“ Well, Ill give him a hint how the matter has 
struck you, Viola. Meanwhile, you’d better dress, or 
you will be late.” 

But that night Nadine cried herself to sleep—and in 
her uneasy dreams she could always hear the “ Red 
Sarafane.” 

* * * * * 

The war produced very few changes at Pelham 
Court—beyond all the men-servants under fifty dis¬ 
appearing from view. Sir Edward returned to the 
Foreign Office, which he had retired from years before, 
and was often away on distant missions. Miss Blenk- 
ensop worked at war comforts incessantly, and Nadine 
also. But Nadine hated sewing, she always longed 
to be a soldier, and go out and fight! It had one effect, 
however, which had strong influence upon the child’s 
character. Instead of her studies being continued in 
Dresden and Paris, as her father had planned, for six 
long years she and Miss Blenkensop remained buried 
at Pelham Court. Decrepit elderly masters came down 

2 


18 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


from London, and did what they could, and Hester 
Blenkensop herself was a person of great cultivation: 
so Nadine at the age of eighteen, when Sir Edward 
returned in 1920 from Japan, was a girl well polished 
in literature and the polite sciences; but of the world 
and life she was as absolutely ignorant as she had been 
at ten. 

The first night she and her father dined together— 
Blenkie had a headache, and was in her bed—fortu¬ 
nately, Sir Edward felt! as he was able to study his 
child uninterruptedly during the meal. She had grown 
into a beautiful young woman—that was what jumped 
to the eyes at the first glance!—and with a something 
of fascination about her not easy to define. Was it 
her over-voluptuous mouth?—or the strange contrast 
of her bright blue eyes with that ivory-olive skin? She 
was still slender and childish-looking in figure, but some¬ 
how nothing of the child seemed to be left in her eyes. 
They were mysterious and passionate, and made people 
feel uneasy when they looked at them long. 

Her manner was sullen, with bursts of cdlineries — 
little fascinating caresses she bestowed upon her father 
and her beloved sheep-dogs from time to time. 

“ Papa, I am sick to death of Pelham Court. I 
loathe the country. I want now to go out and sample 
the world.” 

“ We must see about it, Nadine.” 

“ Which means you don’t intend to take me! ” A 
rebellious light came into her eyes, although she still 
stood in absolute awe of her father, just as her mother 
Nada had done. There was something in the cold 
cynical regard of Sir Edward which froze most people, 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


19 


and which dominated completely that savage half in 
Nadine. It was that part of her spirit which she had 
inherited from him which alone was able to stand 
against him, but that was not sufficiently developed 
yet to show! As she spoke, there came to her father 
the old feeling of fear—what would it mean when once 
she knew the world? 

Marriage was the best thing which could happen to 
her—and fortunately a very suitable one could be 
arranged, for was not Eustace Pelham at home on leave 
from Rome, and if only the two young people could 
be brought together now, before Nadine had seen a 
choice of partners, the desire of his heart might be 
accomplished, and the family could go on through his 
daughter as well as his cousin’s son. He would write 
to the Crombies, who were coming down next week for 
a farewell visit before they left on the mission to 
Washington, and ask them to bring Eustace with 
them; he had been one of Lord Crombie’s secretaries 
in Teheran before going to Rome. 

Sir Edward’s eye then travelled to Nadine’s simple 
dress. Yes she would look very different in some pretty 
Paris clothes. Lady Crombie, who knew all about 
these sorts of things, could be asked to bring some. 
She was in Paris now; he would write her a long letter 
to-night, there would yet be time. So with all these 
thoughts in his head he had not been paying much 
attention to Nadine, who had fallen into silence. 

What would the return of her father mean? The 
years had seemed so long to her! These years of war 
and restriction, buried in the country, and he had come 
home so seldom! Of course he could not help that, 


20 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


poor papa, he had to do his duty; but now war was 
over, and surely in the coming season he would take 
her up to London and let her enjoy life! 

There was one book which Nadine loved: it was the 
story of the knight Bayard, “ Sans peur et sans 
reproche.” Miss Blenkensop, while completely dis¬ 
couraging even the simplest novels, had had sense 
enough to see that such a nature as Nadine's must 
have some hero to worship, and when a beautifully illus¬ 
trated copy of this admirable gentleman's adventures 
came down among birthday gifts for her pupil’s four¬ 
teenth birthday, Miss Blenkensop was delighted to 
encourage interest in it. In fact she looked upon the 
book as sent from heaven, for here was a romantic his¬ 
tory absolutely devoid of any allusion to sex. Here was a 
knight whose love for the Lady of Frussasco could be 
dwelt on, and the beauty of it extolled. And in short, 
Bayard had been made to stand as a type of perfect 
man—and in Nadine’s pure wild heart he became en¬ 
shrined as king. She had built her own romance around 
him as she grew older, and now Bayard, for her, repre¬ 
sented the lover who would come and set her free, who 
would take her far away from Blenkie and papa, and 
Pelham Court, out to see the world. 

But the good knight would certainly not have 
recognized the picture her imagination had made of 
him, could he have returned to earth! When she 
thought of the future, it was invariably of some roman¬ 
tic meeting with her hero; and in some modern way 
she felt that she, too, would give a broidered sleeve to 
spur him on to victory! Perhaps he would be a politi- 


THE GREAT MOMENT 21 

cian, perhaps a soldier; but whoever he might be, she 
meant to be his star! 

The book itself, with its beautiful binding, had 
become a sort of talisman; she had it always on her 
table near her—although now she seldom opened its 
leaves, and the real story of Bayard interested her 
no more. 

* * * * * 

Her father’s shrewd eyes were looking through and 
through her as they sat at dinner. Yes, it would not 
do to wait, or let her have a season in London; with 
the licence which had broken out since the war, there 
never would be any holding her when once she mixed 
with other young girls. 

He realized that rebellious thoughts were coursing 
through her mind, and that it would be wiser to change 
their trend. So he exerted himself to amuse her—he 
drew her out, encouraged her to talk, and for the first 
time treated her as a grown-up responsible being. 
Nadine’s ivory-olive cheeks flush with the pale scarlet 
tone which made her so brilliantly glowing whenever 
the least excitement or emotion moved her. Sir Edward’s 
subtle sardonic wit had always made her a little uncom¬ 
fortable. She knew as a child when he was being witty. 
She had a vague feeling that she ought to understand 
and smile, but she never did quite. She liked plain 
things, over which you could make no mistake about 
the fun of them. Nada had been wont to fly into ungov¬ 
ernable passions when Sir Edward laughed quietly, and 
Nadine had often longed to do so too. But to-night 
he made no allusions beyond her comprehension, and 
when she kissed him good-night, it was with more 


22 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


affection, and good fellowship, than had ever been 
between them before. 

Then Sir Edward sat down at his writing-table, and 
indited a long epistle to his friend Viola Crombie. He 
took both husband and wife into his confidence. He 
told of the wish of his heart, that Nadine should marry 
his heir—since the place was entailed, and went with 
the title—and asked for their co-operation. Eustace 
should be broached upon the subject, and his consent 
obtained to the idea—and then Lady Crombie should 
choose some becoming frocks in Paris for Nadine, and 
have them sent over; and finally in a fortnight, when 
they would be coming down to Pelham Court to pay 
a farewell visit before leaving for Washington, they 
should bring Eustace Pelham with them. 

All this completed, Sir Edward addressed the 
envelope with a sigh of relief. 

And Nadine opened her window wide on this gusty 
April night and held out her arms. She felt something 
new was coming towards her. She knew not what. 


CHAPTER III 


O N the day, a fortnight later, when the Crombies 
and Eustace Pelham were expected, Nadine was 
having a wild gallop through the park. Old James, the 
groom who had accompanied her when on horseback 
since her childhood, had much ado to keep up with her. 

“ Mad as a March hare, is Miss Pelham sometimes, 
give you my word,” was how he expressed it. “ She’s 
like a cat with the wind in its tail.” 

The very fact of the Crombies arriving was a pleas¬ 
ure to Nadine, although she had heard nothing of 
Eustace. Anyone, from the outside world made a 
change, and two of the dresses had come from Paris, 
and that was also a joy. But there was always Blenkie, 
watchful and restraining, and it was only when out 
with old James that Nadine ever got away from her. 
She might not hunt—that too was forbidden—but she 
could gallop to her heart’s content along Forwood Gorse 
and the West Down—with James behind her. 

Sir Edward was sitting alone in the library—that 
lofty, oak-panelled room with its many books—things 
were shaping themselves. Lady Crombie had written 
that Eustace Pelham had taken kindly to the idea of 
an alliance with the daughter of the head of the family. 
He was quite of the opinion that it would be a good 
plan to keep fortune and property together and he 
would ask Nadine to become his wife on the first suit¬ 
able moment during his visit. 

“ There is no romance about Eustace, Ned,” Lady 

23 


24 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Crombie wrote, “ (you will say, of course, that that is 
a fortunate thing!)—he has seen too much of the world 
to retain any illusions, and he shares your views that 
marriage turns out more happily if based upon material 
suitability. You will be answerable for Nadine. I 
can only tell you, my dear old friend, that I am glad 
that it is not my part of the business, for perhaps Nadine 
will not like him at all, and upset the whole apple cart.” 

When Sir Edward read this part of the letter he 
frowned a little, then he put it aside on the top of one 
that had come that morning from America. It had 
interested him, in the years since Nada died, to dabble 
a little in mines all over the world, and he had already 
acquired a cool million or two out of the Gold Stamp 
Mining Corporation in Nevada, which he owned jointly 
with one Elihu Bronson—an American millionaire. 
Bronson had written to say that the head mining engi¬ 
neer would come in on his way to catch the boat at 
Southampton, with the latest particulars. He had been 
in England on business. What a bore! the fellow might 
be turning up to-day. 

Then when these two letters were safely in one 
drawer, another was unlocked, and Sir Edward drew 
out a jewel case which he had but yesterday got from 
the safe. He opened it, and his whole cynical face 
changed: back came the vision of Nada the Gipsy, and 
that wonderful night! How she had maddened his 
every sense, and how he had loved her! And what 
pleasure it had been to give her these jewels on their 
way through Paris, sapphires and diamonds—as blue 
and as bright as her eyes. And now they should all 
be Nadine’s—upon her wedding day. He half mur- 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


25 


mured a prayer as he held up a necklace—to the spirit 
of Nada there in the Beyond—to help him to guide 
the destiny of their child who was growing so like— 
too like—her mother. Then, angry with himself he got 
up and rang the bell. 

Cassar, the golden collie, put his nose into his 
master’s hand—Caesar was one of the few living things 
which loved this stern reserved man. When the stately 
butler answered the summons, he was told to ask Miss 
Pelham to come into the library immediately on 
her return. 

Pixie, Nadine’s bay mare, had gathered a stone in 
the left forefoot. Nadine pulled up suddenly, and old 
James came to her side. It was the merest trifle—and 
when it was removed, off she tore again, almost upset¬ 
ting the solemn groom, who mounted and followed her, 
shaking his head. 

“ Wind in its tail, wind in its tail,” he said to himself. 
But Nadine recked not a whit, but galloped ahead, 
hardly slackening until she came to the side entrance 
of the house—up the long carriage drive from the West 
Lodge, and there she sprang to the ground, and kissed 
Pixie’s nose; and then played with her sheep-dogs 
who had rushed out to greet her—they were growing 
elderly gentlemen now. A gay frolicsome vital Pan¬ 
spirit! one would have said, could one have peeped at 
her. Even in the correct English habit she looked 
foreign, and nothing ever seemed able to keep back 
her crisp black curls. 

She ran up the steps at last, and into the great hall. 
She was singing a merry tune; off went her hat on to 
the music stool, and the gloves followed. Then Mum- 


26 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


ford, the portly butler who had ruled at Pelham Court 
before her birth, came forward. 

Mumford adored her in his pompous heart, but felt 
often very apprehensive about her—so unlike the rest 
of the Pelham family! 

“ Sir Edward wishes to see you in the library, Miss,” 
he said. 

Nadine banged the notes wildly as she stood with 
her back to the keys, and then she sat down on her 
hat. She had known and dreaded these summons to 
the library all her life, and Mumford knew it and 
sympathized with her secretly. What had she done 
now? Then she straightened her collar and her coat, 
and smoothed her curls, and walked soberly through 
the stone archway above which hung the banner a 
Pelham had carried at Agincourt, and so to the library 
door; while Mumford picked up the smashed-in bowler, 
and pressed out the crown—and he too shook his head. 

“If he thinks he’ll ever tame her, he don’t know 
females,” was his reflection, as he carried off hat and 
gloves, to give them to the maid Augustine. 

But Nadine had reached her father’s side, and was 
told to sit down. Her heart beat a little faster—he 
was so quiet, it was evidently something perfectly awful 
that she had done. Sir Edward felt nervous : how was 
he to begin ? 

The jewels were something to start from, so he 
opened the case, and Nadine’s eyes brightened with 
interest. 

“ These are your mother’s jewels, dear child,” he 
said, “ and they are all to be yours—on your wedding 
day ”; then he paused. The female delight in baubles 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


27 


was overcoming Nadine: all primitive things affected 
her at this stage of her evolution. She had taken in 
that the jewels were to be hers—these lovely glittering 
things. She took them out and touched them tenderly, 
then she held a pendant up against her dark habit, and 
caressed a great pearl which fell from it—her father 
was talking again—and he was not scolding her—what 
was he saying? . . . Wedding day! . . . 

her cousin Eustace Pelham . . . coming to ask her 

to be his wife. . . . She dropped the necklace and 

clasped her hands. Bayard at last! coming to set her 
free! Oh! how altogether divine! 

She bounded from the chair that she had drawn 
up meekly to her father’s side, and hugged him. 

“ Oh! you darling old pet!—what’s he like— 
Eustace ?—when shall I see him ? Oh, Papa! ” 

“ In an half-hour from now, Nadine; run along and 
dress. You must do justice to being my daughter, 
and the mistress of this house.” It was characteristic 
of Sir Edward that “ my daughter ” and “ the mistress 
of this house,” rather than “ yourself ” should be his 
phrasing. This was the keynote to his whole character. 
His daughter, and what was suitable to her—and the 
house of Pelham. 

Nadine never analysed anything, she lived entirely 
in her emotions and sensations, spiritual and physical. 
She had been taught always to revere the house of 
Pelham—to believe in “ Noblesse oblige,” to take great 
pride in her long line of ancestors—and that part of her 
which contained the influence of her father answered 
to this training; but it was only in outside things— 
within, she was yet as wild as a hawk, and entirely primi- 


28 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


tive. A new experience was coming into her life— 
a knight!—the Bayard she had created—not he of the 
colourless romance with the Lady of Frussasco! but a 
glorious full-blooded passionate hero, who would love 
her and lead her forth into the world. Pleasure! mental 
and physical—and to put on one of the new frocks— 
pleasure again! 

She tore through the hall, singing at the top of her 
voice, and on the stairs met Miss Blenkensop coming 
down. Her hard face expressed the disapproval of 
so much exuberance, but she allowed herself to be 
pulled along and into Nadine’s room—the dear old 
panelled Jacobean room which some eighteenth-century 
girl-Pelham had had painted white, and a later one 
a pale green. 

It was a pleasant place with its old English chintzes, 
and its simple Chippendale furniture—pictures of the 
cats and dogs the owner loved were about, a photo¬ 
graph of Sir Edward adorned the dressing table, an 
ivory-bound Prayer Book lay on the table by the bed 
—and on another table drawn up to the sofa was The 
Story of Bayard —the perfect. 

Winnie, an elderly black and tan terrier, had been 
sleeping beside the fireplace in her basket, but she got 
up to greet her mistress. 

Nadine let go Blenkie, who had been dragged along, 
and seized her precious book—her fetish. The belief 
had come true—a real Bayard was arriving this very 
afternoon. FI 

She dropped the volume again, after having clasped 
it ecstatically to her heart, and was now caressing 
Winnie and telling of her joy. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 29 

Miss Blenkensop picked up the book; she greatly 
disapproved of these outbursts, so—so—theatrical— 
so un-English—and not quite in good taste; but when 
her eye caught The Story of Bayard, she felt relieved. 
That kind of love was just as it should be, so she retired 
from the room rather re-assured. And Nadine, left 
to herself, told everything to Winnie. 

“ Bayard, my knight—coming at last to set me free, 
Winnie. But his name’s not Bayard—it’s Eustace ” 
—here she wrinkled her nose—“ E U S T A C E—do I 
like the name of Eustace?—not much—sounds awfully 
good, Winnie—not like you and me. But what’s in 
a name, my black beauty? We can call him ‘ Bayard ’ 
if we wish. ” 

The noise of wheels was heard on the gravel. The 
windows of Nadine’s room looked out on that side 
entrance to which people always came when they were 
motoring from the station by the West Lodge. She 
could get a perfect view of arrivals. 

In frantic excitement she rushed to the window— 
could it be—was it-? 

Some one was getting out of a taxi, a man—a young 
man. Her heart beat very fast. He was a tallish 
person, clean cut and slim waisted. He was clean shaven 
too, and somehow his clothes did not look quite English.. 
He glanced up at the house after he had given directions 
to the taxi man, and Nadine could see that he had a 
strong quiet face, and that his eyes were grey. She 
was so enthralled that she failed to take in the fact 
that he had no luggage beyond a small valise. The un- 
English something about his clothes might be because 
he was a diplomat and lived always abroad. Anyway 



30 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


he looked like a gentleman—and—yes—he could very 
well be her knight. All the suppressed passionate uncon¬ 
scious desires of .her half-savage nature arose suddenly. 
Oh! how divine to have a lover, and this one, tall and 
slim and strong! Nadine’s heroes were not those whom 
she could rule. A hero must adore her, and do anything 
she pleased—of course; but if he chose, he must be 
able to make her obey him. He must have something 
of the lion-tamer about him as well as tenderness. That 
he should be clever—a man of brain—was a second¬ 
ary consideration. He must be a ruler— and warmly 
fond. The man below at the door now bent to pat the 
two sheep-dogs, who had come out to sample the new¬ 
comer. “ He likes dogs,” commented Nadine. Then 
he disappeared into the house with the footman who 
had come to the door, and she turned excitedly to 
Winnie once more: 

“ He’s a darling, Winnie, and I shall love him—I 
know.” 

Then she rang the bell excitedly, and when her 
maid came, she gave orders to see both her new frocks; 
and while Augustine went to fetch them, she literally 
tore off her habit, and danced about the room, wrapping 
herself in a pink satin dressing-gown. 

Yes, the pale grey frock was a triumph of simplic¬ 
ity, and nice and short; she would put that on. Then 
when presently Augustine brought shoes and stockings 
for her to change, she kicked the little pink satin mules 
she had thrust her toes into, right up to the ceiling, 
and one fell on the maid’s head. 

“ Tiens! mademoiselle,” protested Augustine, highly 
irritated; but Nadine was blissfully indifferent. Then 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


31 


her hair had to be specially neatly arranged; some¬ 
thing told her she must not annoy her father in any 
way, and finally getting the maid out of the room for 
a moment, she seached for, and found, a tiny box of 
face powder which lived concealed in the strapping of 
the cushion of a chair, and with Winnie watching her 
sympathetically, she carefully rubbed her face with the 
minute puff. This powder was a delightful secret. 
She had bought it one day at the chemist’s in Yeomin- 
ster, when Blenkie’s back was turned, and the little 
box appealed to her fancy. She had never put it on 
before to go downstairs, but surely when one was going 
to meet one’s future husband, one had every right to 
make oneself look as beautiful as possible! Her skin, 
pure and fine as ivory, with its olive tinge, was velvety 
enough without any adornment. And finally, very 
pleased with herself but a little nervous, she started 
to go to the library, where tea would soon be coming, 
and all the guests arrived. 

Meanwhile the young man who had come in the 
taxi was being taken by Henry, the first footman, and 
delivered into the hands of Mr. Mum ford in the great 
hall. He presented a long-shaped envelope and was 
asked to wait a moment, by the big fireplace, while the 
letter was taken to the master of the house in the library. 

Sir Edward was still sitting in his chair gazing in 
front of him as when Nadine had left him a few 
moments before. 

He read the missive quietly. It was from his partner 
Elihu Bronson, and introduced Mr. Bayard Delaval, 
head mining engineer of the Gold Stamp Mining Cor¬ 
poration, who, the writer said, was a Harvard man, 


32 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


one of the younger Delavals of Washington, and one 
of the cleverest mining experts out west. He would 
explain how necessary it was that Sir Edward should 
come out to America this spring, and take a trip out 
to Gold Stamp to see how things were progressing 
for himself. 

“Ask Mr. Delaval to come in, Mumford,” Sir 
Edward said; and in a moment Bayard Delaval made 
his entrance. He had been taking in things while he 
waited. It must mean much, this old house with its 
accumulation of associations covering hundreds of 
years. 

How much tradition must mean as a principle of 
action! How it should make those who had inherited 
all this come up to scratch! How would he feel if 
these were his ancestors looking down at him from 
the walls ? “ Delaval ” was quite as old a name as 

“ Pelham/’ they had come from Northamptonshire to 
Virginia about two hundred years ago. He must look 
the history up some day—when he had time—his father 
had always made such a study of it, and he had had a 
kind of feeling that he must be worthy of it—and then 
he closed his strong fine hand. A man’s spirit and his 
will to do, mattered more than any ancestors in the 
world though, he decided, and then followed Mumford 
into Sir Edward’s presence. 

Above everything Sir Edward was a man of the 
world—cynical and cold, but punctiliously polite in 
his own house. He greeted Mr. Delaval cordially, and 
they talked for a little, keeping strictly to business; then, 
warming to the young man, he asked him would not 
he stay? 


THE GREAT MOMENT 33 

“ Do let me persuade you to stop over the week¬ 
end/’ he said. 

It was a real temptation to Bayard Delaval. He 
had never seen a great English house before; it was 
his first visit to Europe, and novelty interested him. 
A keen psychologist, he was accustomed to analyse the 
meaning of things, and realized that these old families, 
with their hereditary points of view, were worth 
studying. 

“ They made all the finer civilization of the present 
world,” he was thinking, “ even if they are now pass¬ 
ing away.” 

To him, Sir Edward was a study of a waning order 
of things. To Sir Edward, he was a worthy young 
mining engineer, who appeared to be quite a gentleman. 

He could not stay, he was sorry to say. He must 
catch the Mauretania at Southampton; but they would 
meet again out west in Nevada, he hoped, very shortly. 

When he had gone, Sir Edward mused to himself: 
the fellow had charm—his not staying might be just 
as well. 

Then the Crombies arrived—and—Eustace Pelham. 

Diplomacy seems to stamp people more strongly 
than any other profession. No one could mistake 
Lord Crombie for anything but an old diplomat, or 
Eustace Pelham for anything but a young one. 

“ Quite one of the family, but a trifle over-bred,” 
Sir Edward thought, as he looked at his heir. “ It 
won’t hurt our descendants to have Nadine’s half plebe¬ 
ian blood balancing things.” 

Eustace was groomed to perfection, and had an 
indifferent aloof manner—the social duties of a diplo- 

3 


34 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


matic career had never been neglected by him. He 
was the adored of cosmopolitan female society in the 
different capitals he had already been appointed to. He 
liked exotic women—and never spoke to girls. But 
one must marry some time, and it were better to have 
a wife with a fortune than otherwise. His cousin 
Nadine was too young ever to hamper his freedom in 
any way, and not too much would be expected of him. 
He had brought a diamond engagement ring down with 
him, and meant to go through with the thing 
as arranged. 

“ Beastly nuisance, of course/’ he decided; “ but 
then any tie is a nuisance.” 

They were already in the library when Nadine came 
slowly down the stairs. Her heart was beating so she 
felt that she could hardly be sure of controlling her 
voice. Her father’s golden collie met her and walked 
with her through the hall. She paused a moment at 
the library door, and then went in. 

She hardly dared to look up at a tall figure which 
stood beyond her father, and eagerly greeted Lady 
Crombie near the door. 

“ How you have grown, dear,” her old friend said, 
as she kissed her; “ and how weirdly attractive you 
have become,” she added to herself. Then Lord 
Crombie gave his greetings, and finally Sir Edward drew 
the man behind him forward, and Nadine raised her 
blue eyes and looked at him—and over her face there 
came a blank stare. . . . 

This—this could not be—Eustace ?—Eustace whom 
she had seen out of her window, arriving. Eustace— 
who was to be Bayard—her knight 1 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


35 


She could have cried—screamed aloud—in her dis¬ 
appointment. The namby-pamby man! She got sud¬ 
denly very pale, and she hardly heard her father’s 
voice saying: 

“ This is your cousin Eustace, Nadine, dear child; 
you have never met before, but I want you to be very 
good friends.” Then she felt a nerveless, indifferent 
hand take her cold little fingers, but she could not force 
herself to speak a word. 

Old Lord Crombie put his eyeglass in his eye and 
observed things. 

“ Ned has got a stiff proposition to put forward 
there,” he reflected sagely. 

And then the servants brought in the tea, and 
every one talked at once, and Nadine’s silence passed 
unnoticed. 

But when she reached her room again and called 
Winnie from her basket, she burst into passionate tears. 


CHAPTER IV 


W HO was the man she had seen out of the win¬ 
dow ? this was the thought which troubled 
Nadine next day. Why did no one speak of an arrival ? 
Visitors were of rare enough occurrence. And such a 
visitor! How had he come and gone, and no one com¬ 
mented upon it? She would have to ask her father 
straight out, it would seem. 

But Sir Edward was in one of his unapproachable 
moods, when it was impossible to say anything to him 
that he did not want to hear. So, driven to despera¬ 
tion, Nadine spoke to Blenkie: 

“ Did you know some one came yesterday when I 
was dressing to go down to tea, Blenkie—a gentleman 
—who was he? ” 

“ I heard of no one, Nadine.” 

How could she find out? She could of course ask 
Mum ford. As he passed her in the hall she put her 
question: 

“ Who was it who arrived by the side door yester¬ 
day afternoon in a taxi from the West Lodge, 
Mumford? ” 

The butler was astonished, and a little shocked; 
anyone who was not in Burke’s Peerage or the County 
Families was to him a person of no importance, unless 
of course he happened to be a foreigner of known 
distinction; but a mining engineer who came with 
a letter to Sir Edward was not of a status in life that 
Miss Pelham of Pelham Court should take an interest 
36 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


37 

in. He did not hold with any of these modern demo¬ 
cratic notions. He knew his place, and he wished 
other people knew theirs. He spoke loftily when he 
answered—in the tone which used to make Nadine 
pull faces at him behind his back when she was a 
tiny child: 

“ He was from Sir Edward’s American mine, Miss 
—on business.” 

“ On . . .” and Nadine’s voice was full of dis¬ 
appointment. “Are you sure, Mumford? I thought it 
was a gentleman.” 

“ They do tell me, Miss, that every one is the same 
there; but I did not stand no nonsense of that sort 
from my nephew when he came back last year. If a 
man works in mines, he is a miner, and there is no more 
to it, Miss,” and Mr. Mumford drew himself up with 
the dignity of a pouter pigeon. 

Nadine went on her way. 

So he was only a miner—her knight Bayard! Mary 
the head housemaid’s brother was a miner in Wales. 
Oh, what a terrible pity! 

At this stage of her evolution her training still held 
her so strongly, that it never entered her head that she 
could continue her interest in the stranger. It was as 
if she had taken a statue for a real person, and finding 
out her mistake felt very disappointed, but of course 
did not think of trying to animate the marble. 

Her clearest thought was that it was a terrible pity 
that such a nice-looking person couldn’t have been a 
gentleman, and that she couldn’t have known such a 
one instead of Eustace. Her mind still affected by the 
charm of her supposed knight, she had found her cousin 


38 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


a hideous disillusion at dinner on the evening before, 
and afterwards, in the drawing-room, she could see 
nothing but his faults. Lady Crombie felt very uncer¬ 
tain as to the wisdom of the course that they were all 
taking, but she never gave unasked advice, and having 
promised her old friend that she would help him, she 
meant to keep her word. 

And so a week went by, and the outstanding con¬ 
viction which settled down into the brain of Nadine 
was that resistance was hopeless: it was either 
Eustace and the world, or Blenkie and Pelham Court 
for ever. She had moments when she was like a fierce 
caged animal, growling to itself, but just as the wild 
beast knows and obeys its keeper, so she put up no 
fight to her father—and then some other part of her 
nature came uppermost, and suggested to her that 
freedom was worth any price she might be asked to pay 
for it; even to the meek acceptance of Eustace as a 
husband. But the Pan-spirit in her could not resist 
playing pranks—she was infinitely irritating to Eustace. 
She made obvious jokes, she was capricious, she raced 
her horse always ahead of him when they rode together. 
She lagged behind when they walked; she clung to 
Lady Crombie’s skirts whenever there seemed to be a 
prospect of being alone with him, and when he was not 
exasperated, he was bored to death. Nadine’s was 
not the type which drew him; the fascinations which 
would have driven another man crazy, left Eustace 
Pelham completely cold. He thought her a silly 
excitable tomboy, and felt an amount of self-pity that 
he should have to take unto himself such a wife; but 
he had come there prepared to ask her to marry him, 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


39 


and did not mean to be turned aside from his purpose; 
for after all marriage was a shackle and no pleasure, 
however you looked at it. 

“Of course when she sees how absurd she is, among 
the delightful, civilized people in Rome, she will 
change,” he reflected, as he stroked his little mous¬ 
tache, or settled his immaculate white tie; but he could 
not always hide his boredom with her. 

Then Nadine became piqued. Even to her percep¬ 
tions, which were not of the keenest, it was evident 
that Eustace was unattractive. She—the woman— 
meant nothing to him. He was only going to marry her 
because she was her father’s daughter, and once more 
the overpowering influence of Sir Edward seemed to 
crush her. Then, some dormant sense of desire for 
conquest was aroused in her; she must get away from 
being a nonentity. Why could she not make this man 
feel? Perhaps, though, it was because he could not 
feel; perhaps he was just as wooden as he looked, or 
was it something wanting in herself? 

She was very quiet that day when she thought of 
these things. Sir Edward was growing anxious. Lady 
Crombie had been asked to inform Miss Blenkensop in 
regard to the affair, and the two ladies talked things over. 

Blenkie was of opinion that Mr. Pelham had better 
get his proposal made as soon as possible. 

“If Nadine once determined she won’t accept him, 
there would be no use in going on; he had better clinch 
the matter while she is still undecided.” 

Lady Crombie agreed with her, and felt that she 
herself ought to make the opportunity, that very night 
after dinner. They would have their coffee in the great 


40 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


hall as usual, and then she would get her husband to 
draw Sir Edward on into the library, where she would 
join them, and the young people would be left alone. 

Blenkie spoke to Nadine before dinner when she 
came into her room, and found her pupil putting on a 
fresh new frock from Paris. 

“ What a charming young man Mr. Pelham is, 
Nadine,” she said, letting herself go in spite of the 
presence of Augustine; “ he is so refined and gentle¬ 
manlike, it is a pleasure to be in his company.” 

“ I am glad you think so,” snapped Nadine. “ I 
wish papa wanted to marry you to him instead of me. 
I think him a stick, stick . . . stick . . . don’t I, 
Winnie? ” and she picked up her favourite and swung 
her round. “ I hate everything about him; I want 
to rumple his hair, and untie his ties, and upset my 
soup plate over his splendidly creased trousers; but I am 
going to marry him all right. Never fear, Blenkie.” 

“ Nadine! ” was all Miss Blenkensop could utter, 
and walked in grim dignity from the room. 

At dinner, Miss Pelham behaved as Miss Pelham 
should. She was sweet and not jerky, she talked nicely 
to Eustace, and said how much she longed to visit 
Rome and study its antiquities. Lady Crombie and 
Sir Edward exchanged glances—the moment seemed 
propitious. Eustace must be given a hint to propose 
to her that evening if the idea did not seem to be pre¬ 
senting itself naturally. Only Lord Crombie had a 
whimsical smile in his old eyes. 

Then Lady Crombie arranged things beautifully. 
When she and the young people were alone in the 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


41 


great hall—she must fetch some photographs to show 
them, she said, and she refused Nadine’s eager offer 
to get them or ring and have them brought, and on the 
stairs she stopped Blenkie from interrupting the tete- 
a-tete. This worthy creature had gone up to get her 
beloved knitting—and the two ladies disappeared into 
the gallery above. 

Nadine sat down at the piano and began idly touch¬ 
ing the keys. Sir Edward and Lord Crombie came 
through the hall and went into the library. Eustace 
felt he had better get it over! He had been carrying 
the engagement ring in his pocket continuously since 
his arrival. Nadine knew it was coming—this only 
key to freedom! So she controlled herself as well as 
she could, and when she had finished a fox-trot that 
she was playing, she twisted round upon the music 
seat and faced him, as he reclined in the most comfort¬ 
able arm-chair near. He settled his collar for a minute, 
and then he began: 

“ It was awfully nice of Sir Edward arranging this 
marriage for us, Nadine, wasn’t it? I’ll be a very 
lucky fellow if you’ll take me.” 

He hardly glanced at her while he took the engage¬ 
ment ring case from his waistcoat pocket, and began 
removing the ring—a big diamond one—from its white 
velvet bed. 

Nadine did not speak; she nodded her head. Her 
heart seemed to be very still. It was all so terribly 
matter-of-fact—this, the turning point in her life l 

In a supercilious indifferent way Eustace took one of 
her hands, which were loosely clasped in her lap—it 


42 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


happened to be the right one! and he began putting 
the ring upon the third finger. Nadine realized the 
mistake with its inference of his indifference, and she 
drew back a little indignantly. 

“ By Jove! I was putting it on the wrong hand,” 
Eustace exclaimed, laughing rather fatuously. “ How 
awfully stupid of me! ” 

“ Yes,” and she gave him her left one. She felt 
frozen, and, rather laboriously, Eustace placed the 
diamond upon the engagement finger and kissed her 
hand coldly, and so the thing was done! Then he 
subsided complacently back into his chair again and 
flicked a scrap of fluff from his sleeve with his over-bred 
delicate fingers. A wild resentment filled Nadine. Was 
this the way proposals were made in that aristocratic 
Pelham world to which she had the misfortune to 
belong? And then a vision came of the face of the 
man who had looked up to her from the side door! Oh! 
what a pity, pity, pity, Eustace was not he! 

Nothing further seemed to be going to happen. 
Her fiance had the expression of duty bravely done, 
and well-earned rest ahead in that nice chair! Nadine 
looked at him furiously, and then bounded up from her 
seat and walked quickly towards the library, leaving 
him, surprised and disconcerted, to follow more slowly. 

Sir Edward and Lord Crombie were talking to¬ 
gether, as they warmed their backs by the blazing 
logs, and they looked up expectantly as the excited little 
figure burst into the room, and Nadine came forward 
and took her father’s arm, hiding a moved, flushed face 
against his coat. Then Sir Edward noticed the ring, 


THE GREAT MOMENT 43 

and taking her hand showed it to his old friend with a 
triumphant and benevolent smile. 

Eustace had reached them by this time, and there 
were congratulations all round. But as they went off 
to bed later on Lord Crombie remarked: 

“ You are taking chances, Ned. The days are late 
for the disposal of daughters willy-nilly. This is only 
the first act of the comedy, my dear boy.” 

Sir Edward frowned. 


CHAPTER V 


O H! the weary days that followed! The Crombies 
had to leave on the Saturday, and the fiances, 
but for the watchful eyes of Blenkie, would be much 
alone. Nadine used to get away after breakfast as 
soon as possible, on one pretext or another, then she 
would ride with Eustace just before lunch. Their paces 
were never the same, they tried to talk, but nothing 
either said really interested the other. Nadine felt al¬ 
ways at a disadvantage. She was never natural, and 
had the humiliating feeling that however nice Eustace 
was trying to be to her, he really looked upon her as a 
thing of naught whose views and opinions could not 
matter to anyone. Once or twice he let her see that he 
thought her primitive, and with instincts not in accord¬ 
ance with the people of their world. When she was 
the least exuberant his face was a study! not exactly 
of disapproval,, but a patient endurance that grown-up 
people display towards noisy children, or puppies! She 
worried him with her life and energy. She could so 
easily slip into what he would have called “ bad form.” 

He had not had the slightest desire to kiss her. He 
felt it would be like kissing some tiresome little boy: 
a peck at her hand in a ceremonious way, as they said 
good-night, was as far as he had ventured. He would 
have to be a little more lover-like, he supposed, but how 
she had got on his nerves! every giggle—and Nadine 
sometimes giggled from sheer nervousness—made him 
wince. She was not a clever conversationalist, because 
44 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


45 


the real methods of deductive reasoning had always 
been discouraged in her by the worthy Blenkie, in case 
she should ask logical and awkward questions. So 
with all her outward polish in literature, she did not 
seem to possess the key to make it interesting. Every 
bit of the real soul of the girl was suppressed; her 
true nature kept in abeyance, and with Eustace she was 
always self-conscious. 

She wondered and wondered what life would be like 
with him when they were married, and went off to Rome. 
He would begin making some kind of love to her, she 
supposed. What would it be like ? She was too innocent 
and ignorant to make any mental picture. Her imagina¬ 
tion got so far as Eustace taking her into his arms and 
kissing her and there came a thrill, but it was always 
because Eustace’s face had changed into that of the 
stranger at the side door. She was really answering to 
the romantic spring-time thoughts of her nature, and 
Eustace was only a peg upon which she hung them. 
After the thrill had passed, and she realized that it was 
Eustace who would one day caress her, and not her 
dream knight, then a blank horrible deadness settled 
upon her, and she would be silent for hours. 

The evenings in the library were the same, night 
after night. Sir Edward read the Century Magazine , 
or the Saturday Review, Blenkie knitted one of her 
eternal pairs of socks—the war habit was still upon her, 
Eustace smoked innumerable cigarettes, and when 
Nadine had played as many tunes as she was able to 
remember, she sat silent stroking the collie Caesar’s ears, 
and made a bolt for bed at a quarter to ten! All subjects 
of conversation by then seemed exhausted. 


46 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


After a fortnight of this sort of thing, when every 
force of the fresh May spring-time seemed calling for 
romance, the strain began to tell upon her physical 
health. And the old family doctor, who had come up 
to Pelham Court to see an ailing housemaid, was struck 
by her appearance when they met on the stairs. He was 
perhaps the only person who really apprehended the 
nature of Nadine, or had any sympathy for her. He 
paused and had a chat, and then he went into the library 
to see Sir Edward. 

He spoke his mind quite freely. The girl wanted a 
change. Take her away somewhere and let her have 
some different air and new interests. 

Sir Edward was much concerned. He had intended 
that the wedding should take place soon after Whitsun¬ 
tide, he said,, and they would be going over to Paris 
to get the trousseau next week. But old Doctor Wilson 
shook his head. 

“ Do not marry her off just yet, I pray of you, Sir 
Edward. Why not take her for a trip round the world 
first?” 

Sir Edward looked the doctor straight in the eyes. 

“ I have got to go to America on business, to inspect 
a mine I have out there in Nevada. I had intended to 
start after the wedding; you would advise perhaps that 
I go sooner, and take my daughter and her fiance with 
me? ” 

Doctor Wilson was of opinion that this would be an 
excellent plan, and the sooner they could get off the 
better. So that evening at dinner Sir Edward made 
known his decision. 

Nadine could not suppress her joy. They had 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


47 


reached the dessert stage, and she was eating big forced 
strawberries, as red as her lips. She brandished one 
monster, and then took bites at it, while she held it 
high. 

“Oh! Papa, you darling! Oh! how perfectly 
divine! ” and she rushed from her chair and kissed him. 

Sir Edward thrilled a little in spite of himself. It 
was all so like Nada when she was pleased about any¬ 
thing, but it was too unconventional for the Pelham 
standard. Miss Blenkensop reddened with annoyance. 
These unseemly outbursts of Nadine’s reflected upon 
her teaching. Why had she to bound from her chair 
just because she was told she would be taken to America! 
Ladies did not leave their seats until the mysterious 
signal for rising and retiring to the drawing-room was 
given! 

This American-trip plan suited Eustace admirably. 
He had three months’ leave from his diplomatic duties 
in Rome, and he liked travelling; and the charming 
and sophisticated American ladies he had met in various 
capitals of Europe would welcome him, he knew. He 
was in no hurry for the wedding to take place! 

Thus it was that this highly respectable English 
family found themselves on board a great liner by the 
beginning of June, with their pompous personal ser¬ 
vants, and Blenkie, and heaven knows how many English 
leather trunks and bags, along with them! And for 
the first time in her life Nadine Pelham felt free. 

Free to rise early before Blenkie—who shared the 
large state-room of their suite with her—was awake, 
and race round the upper boat deck with some children 
who played there. Free to make a noise with them. 


48 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Free to pretend that she was sleepy in the afternoon 
and lie with half-closed blue eyes and dream. 

It was unlikely that a business trip to a mining- 
country could be too socially diverting for her, Sir 
Edward felt, and with Blenkie to watch over her, no 
harm could possibly come of it, and if the poor child’s 
health would be benefited by the change of air, it was 
just as well they had started. At that time of the year 
there were very few interesting people travelling back 
to America, and Sir Edward Pelham was not of the 
type who makes casual acquaintances. 

The band on board played Russian music in the 
restaurant, and it seemed to awaken something fierce 
in Nadine. Her little nostrils began to quiver, and 
her feet unconsciously marked time as they tapped the 
floor. This was on the second night out. 

At the next table a couple of men sat alone; one 
was the typical friend of the very rich, who can be 
seen on every great liner and every Ritz Hotel all the 
world over—one of those people who know every one 
by sight, and all the little stories about them, even if 
they do not claim intimate acquaintance. The other was 
a millionaire by the name of Hopper—Howard B. 
Hopper—a fabulously rich person, who had inherited 
a fortune made in liquid manure, and had augmented 
it by adding a glue factory for waste by-products. His 
foot—a large fat one—was not yet firmly planted upon 
the social ladder in New York and Washington. But 
he had just bought an old house on the outskirts of the 
latter city, and was going to turn it into a palace. 

Howard B. Hopper believed in money—it had al¬ 
ways been able to buy him what he wanted in life: 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


49 


whether it was a woman or a horse or a motor-car, 
or a house of a poor aristocratic southern family who 
had grown too impoverished to live in it. 

Self-indulgence stamped every line of his unctuous 
personality. 

Nadine Pelham attracted him extremely. Her exotic 
type showing through the breeding she had inherited 
from her father, made a rare combination, he thought. 
That was the kind of wife he meant to throw 
the handkerchief to presently. He meant to take a 
first place in European society, also; he had been over 
looking round, and he had determined he would do the 
thing well, and get an English wife with a peck of ances¬ 
tors behind her, who would open the innermost doors 
to him. No scrambling for Howard B. Hopper 1 He 
gave his orders to Terry Potter: 

“ I want to become acquainted with that little cutie 
over there, Terry. Eve had my eye on her since the ship 
left. The head steward tells me her father’s some swell, 
and they’ve never been to God’s country before. They’re 
on their way to California now, but I want to sample 
the brand before they leave New York . . 

But for once the gods were not on the side of the 
millionaire. No machinations of the astute Terry could 
secure an introduction. Eustace was taking a rest cure, 
and slept most of the day in his state-room, and it 
would have taken the pluck and assurance of a toy 
Pekinese to endeavour to scrape acquaintance with Sir 
Edward! 

So Mr. Howard B. Hopper could only stare afar 
for the rest of the voyage, and vent his annoyance upon 
the discomfited friend of the very rich. 

4 


50 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ There is an impossible bounder, Miss Blenkensop, 
sitting at the next table to us in the restaurant, who 
looks at Nadine. See that she is never unattended,” 
were Sir Edward's orders to Blenkie. 

So for the last three days of the voyage the feeling 
of freedom which Nadine had been revelling in began 
to lessen, and by the time they reached New York, the 
old sense of being a prisoner had settled down upon 
her again. 

Her father and Eustace stood on each side of her 
as they all watched the entrance to New York harbour. 
Nadine’s excitement was intense. She was going to 
land in a new country, where she had heard girls did 
as they pleased. 

Mr. Bronson and his daughter, Sadie, were on the 
dock to meet them, and Nadine was enchanted at the 
thought of meeting some one young and of this free 
nation. There was very little Sadie Bronson did not 
know about life, except how to make it satisfy her. 
Everything she had wanted, her father had given her, 
until now. But one of her friends in California had 
married a French marquis of undoubted position and 
prestige, and Sadie felt that she must marry a European 
aristocrat also. 

Eustace’s type pleased her; there could be no mis¬ 
take as to what breed he belonged to, and as Sadie 
meant to rule whatever husband she selected, absence 
of backbone and presence of “ race ” seemed just what 
was required. 

It annoyed her to find out before they all reached 
the Plaza Hotel that he was already engaged to Nadine. 

They were to be only the one night in New York, 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


51 


as the heat was intense, and they would start for Chicago 
the following day and join Mr. Bronson’s private car 
there to take them along the Santa-Fe to Ludlow, and 
thence branch off to Nevada. 

Nadine did hope her father would not insist upon 
their dining in a private room; she longed to see a 
restaurant and watch the people, and fortunately the 
Bronsons took her view. 

New York out of the season is no gayer than any 
other city in like case; but to Nadine Pelham to walk 
up the steps into the restaurant seemed like entering 
Paradise. She looked quite different to anyone else 
always—whether you admired her or not, you were 
bound to admit that. 

“ She certainly is cute,” Sadie Bronson said to her 
father. “ But I like my old dad better than hers,” and 
she hugged him. 

That Eustace was an engaged man did not altogether 
prevent Sadie endeavouring to attract him, and she 
said some lively things to entertain him during dinner. 

The lights and the music had an effect upon Nadine: 
she blossomed forth and was gay and natural, and Mr. 
Bronson thought her a charming person. A young 
man friend of Sadie’s joined the party when they went 
to take their coffee in the hall, and at once Sadie 
suggested that they should go into the ball-room and 
dance. Nadine’s eyes began to flash with excitement; 
would her father let her do this unheard-of thing? 
He seemed to be making no objection, and off they 
started. The room was half empty, and Sadie thought 
it a miserable one-horse out-of-season show, but to 


52 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Nadine it was a whirl of excitement. She would dance 
for the first time with a man! 

Eustace had already asked Sadie, and they were 
going ahead in a fox-trot, and the young man who 
had joined them placed his arm round Nadine. Her 
feet felt as if they were shod in Mercury’s sandals, her 
lithe body swayed to the syncopated rhythm, her blue 
eyes flashed fiercely. She knew not what steps she 
was dancing, she only knew that she was in heaven 
far away from ordinary things. And Sir Edward found 
it difficult to keep his attention on what Mr. Bronson 
was saying, in his alarmed interest in his child. For 
if ever temperament unconsciously proclaimed itself it 
was doing so now. Even the unemotional brotherly 
young American who was her partner woke up and 
decided this was some girl. 

Would Eustace be able to hold her? Would any¬ 
one ever be able to do so ? Sir Edward wondered, only 
as he had held Nada, with passionate love and fierce 
mastery. But death had taken her at the end of two 
years; what would life bring to Nadine? 

When the music stopped, she came up to him a 
radiant brilliant flower; all her diffidence had departed, 
for the first time she felt that she was attractive and 
was influencing men. 

“ It is just too divine to dance, Papa,” she whis¬ 
pered. “ I never want to go back to England and dull 
old home.” 

The young American was a perfect dancer, like most 
of his race, and the vast difference Nadine found in 
Eustace, when his turn came, brought her sharply back 


THE GREAT MOMENT 53 

to earth again. He had no idea of rhythm, and went 
round in measured time. 

“ Oh, it is no use,” she said at last, exasperated, and 
stopped abruptly in the middle of the floor. 

Her betrothed was surprised, but wanted to be kind. 

“Of course you cannot expect to know how to 
dance, Nadine, as this is only your first time; but do 
not be discouraged, my dear child: after a little practice 
you will get into it and learn to keep time.” 

Then she went into one of her fits of laughter, to 
Eustace’s annoyed dismay. 

“ Why, it is you who have not a notion of what 
dancing means,” she panted. “ One might as well go 
round with an old broom.” 

Mr. Pelham drew himself up stiffly. An altercation 
would be in deplorable taste, but such impoliteness 
could not be permitted to pass unremarked. 

“ I am sorry you find me like an old broom; let 
us go and sit down until the new one can again sweep 
you off your feet.” 

Oh, how like her father he looked when he said 
that!—the same sarcastic freezing tone; between the 
two of them, everything which gave her any pleasure 
in life was always spoilt. 

And with a pettish shrug she took refuge at Sir 
Edward’s side. 

“ Why are you not dancing, my dear ? ” he asked, 
feeling that some jar had occurred. 

“ Because Eustace thinks I cannot dance, and I 
think he cannot—so we have decided to sit down.” 

Fortunately at that moment Sadie Bronson came up, 
and the two girls changed partners again. 


54 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


And while Sir Edward watched his daughter his 
thoughts were troubled. 

She and Eustace did not seem to agree over one 
single thing. 

* * * * * 

When later on Nadine looked out of her window on 
the fourteenth floor of the Plaza, for the first time in 
her life she began to realize that there were new forces 
awakening in her nature, and that she was not accepting 
everything dumbly. The ache for life and love and 
gaiety was positive and definite. Not just a nameless 
pain, which made her unhappy. She knew not why. 
The weird effect of the starlit summer sky, and the tall 
buildings cut sharply against it, appealed to her. These 
strange high towers of a new enchanted land, shooting 
up to express themselves above their fellows, gave her 
comfort, they seemed to be in sympathy with her new 
aspirations. The unusual noises coming from the city 
and the docks—strange whistles from the sirens of 
ships—seemed the cries of prisoners who, like her¬ 
self, were making an effort to be free. She stepped 
back into the room, and the rose-coloured silk curtains 
brushed against her face, as she passed, like a caress. 
She smoothed her cheek against them, and then buried 
her face in the huge bunch of American Beauty roses 
which Mr. Bronson and Sadie had sent to welcome 
her. And to-morrow there would be another change, 
further adventures to look forward to.* Life was, after 
all, not such an impossible affair! 

Sadie Bronson in another room was undergoing no 
exotic emotions. She was coolly calculating the chances 
which had come her way. Nadine Pelham was a mere 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


55 


baby in every respect, not as experienced in worldly 
knowledge of men and things as an American child 
of ten. She was obviously not in love with her fiance. 
The fiance was obviously not in love with her; there 
could be no possible harm in attracting him away from 
her. What was to the advantage of the Pelham family 
interested Sadie not a jot. She knew the whole situation 
from her father. Plow the place was entailed, and went 
with the title. She had millions of her own to replace 
Nadine’s and life with a promising diplomat in the 
capitals of Europe while they were young, and a great 
position in England later on, was exactly her affair, 
and she would be mad to lose the chance of it, since she 
was twenty-five years old! And after this decision she 
went to bed, and slept the sleep of the just, until the 
morning. 

Eustace smoked for an hour. Nadine had wounded 
his vanity, and the only emotion he was conscious of 
now towards her was one of resentment. Should he 
be able to go through with the thing, or would he have 
to throw it all over in spite of its many advantages? 

Sir Edward sat with his head in his hands. What 
might happen even if the marriage to Eustace was 
safely accomplished? Marriage did not control tem¬ 
peraments or lessen temptations, as he very well knew; 
and when at last he fell asleep some hours later, it was 
to have uneasy dreams of Nada. He re-lived once more 
the deep humiliations she had caused him. 

Of the whole party Mr. Bronson was the only one 
who retired to rest in perfect tranquillity after he had 
written out a telegram to the Chief Mining Engineer 
of the Gold Stamp Mining Corporation to meet the 
private car at Albuquerque some days hence. 


CHAPTER VI 


E VERYTHING about America pleased Nadine. She 
liked its newness, and its noise, and its rush, and 
its life; they drove about New York in the morning and 
saw as much as they could. The people in the train 
going to Chicago looked so jolly, and the coloured por¬ 
ters and the waiters in the restaurant delighted her. Here, 
nobody would be bothering about etiquette, and every¬ 
body was smiling. Even the noisy, badly-behaved chil¬ 
dren, running up and down the car, did not irritate 
her. A new animation was entering her being. 

Miss Blenkensop disapproved of everything, and 
watched, from the open door of their drawing-room 
with infinite dismay, the darkie porter arranging the 
sleeping accommodation for the night! 

People of both sexes were going to sleep underneath 
those green curtains! And if one did not happen to 
have money enough to secure a drawing-room, one 
would be obliged to expose oneself to all kinds of dan¬ 
gers ! Blenkie felt her maiden cheeks growing crimson, 
with the sudden thought of how she would ever be able 
to climb into bed, supposing a man had taken the lower 
birth! How fortunate that Sir Edward shared her 
views, and would never grudge the expense to secure 
the ladies of his party against any such distressing possi¬ 
bilities as could easily occur had they to travel in the 
general car! She hardly liked the idea of even 
Augustine running such risks! 

56 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


57 


Nadine revelled in the new adventure. When they 
came back from the restaurant to their drawing-room, 
and the usual sight presented itself, of humanity trying 
to undress as best it could behind bulging green baize, 
she had the greatest difficulty to control her mirth until 
they arrived at their compartment, when she shook 
with laughter. 

“ Blenkie, aren’t they delicious! ” she exclaimed. 
“ Oh, don’t you adore being here! ” 

But Miss Blenkensop closed the door reprovingly. 

Next day in Chicago was another pleasure for 
Nadine. More restaurants, more life, and movement! 

“ What are they pouring out of those flasks they 
are taking from their pockets?” she asked Sadie 
Bronson, looking over to a party of merry young men 
and maidens: 

“ Why, just whisky, of course. We have to do that 
because of Prohibition; don’t you see, people always 
want to do what they are told they must not.” 

“You feel that here?” asked Nadine. “Oh! I 
think I must be really an American, then—I always want 
to do what I am forbidden! ” 

Sadie Bronson sighed. 

“And in the end I get not to want anything, because 
I can have everything so easily—that is why I am going 
to make Papa take me to Europe this fall. I want a 
new sensation; I want to feel that there is forbidden 
fruit, not just only forbidden things to drink.” 

“ But if you lived where everything you wanted 
really was forbidden, what would you do? ” 

“ It would be just glorious; there would be some¬ 
thing to exist for, in planning to get out! ” 


58 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


This was a new view for Nadine, and it comforted 
her; but it also made her think. Did she want some 
particular thing, or was it just freedom to indulge her 
personality? Or was there really something wonderful 
in life that both she and Sadie were missing? 

When they got on to the private car, her delight was 
to sit on the observation platform at the end, and watch 
the country slipping away into perspective. She had a 
charming little compartment all to herself to sleep in, 
and when every one was taking a siesta after lunch, in 
the great heat as they began to get into the desert, she 
took out the story of Bayard—the book went every¬ 
where with her, even though she had not really read 
it for several years. No, it was not this Bayard she 
wanted. Eustace, if he had a nicer character, could 
be this kind of knight. A man to make her love him 
must be much more—she hardly knew how to express 
it—more affectionate, more dashing, more of a master. 
Would she ever meet such an one? When it was too 
late? Then she fell asleep and dreamed of snakes. 

Just before they were due at Albuquerque a day or 
so after, the usual game of bridge was going on. Eustace 
was a tiresome player, taking a long time to make up 
his mind, and even Sadie grew impatient with him; 
while, if Nadine was his partner, she drummed her 
fingers on the table. Fortunately she felt the confined 
conditions of a private car did not make tete-a-tete 
inevitable. If one wanted that, one would have to 
arrange it with intelligence, as Sadie did to secure 
Eustace in the starlight after dinner. Nadine was so 
absorbed with her own desire not to be with him, that 
she had not observed Miss Bronson’s machinations; but 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


59 


Blenkie had, and had determined now to defeat them. 
Blenkie and her eternal knitting never seemed absent 
from the young people’s horizon—only Sadie was more 
than a match for her, and often saw Eustace alone. 

On this particular morning, Mr. Bronson made the 
fourth at this game of bridge, while Sir Edward wrote 
letters and Blenkie knitted. 

Suddenly Sadie looked up and cried excitedly: 

“ Oh! here we are in the Indian country. Come 
along and look at them when we get into the station at 
Albuquerque! ” 

Nadine rushed to her compartment for her camera, 
and after they had drawn up she climbed down from 
the car at the other door. 

Eustace and Sadie were far down the platform by 
now, buying trinkets of Indian silver. Blenkie was 
looking anxiously from the door, having lost sight of 
her charge. 

Sir Edward and Mr. Bronson had not emerged from 
the drawing-room. Nadine, in delight at being alone, 
went up under one of the archways to photograph a 
squaw and a little papoose who, for a dollar-piece for the 
baby’s hand, were induced to pose. 

Just as Nadine had fixed the sight to take the photo¬ 
graph, a tall young man came through the arch from 
the bookstall and paused for a moment, as if looking 
for some particular part of the train; he was exactly 
in focus, and the flash of recognition which came to 
Nadine coincided with the snap of the shutter. 

This was the same face which had looked up at her 
from the side-door entrance at Pelham Court, only six 
weeks before. 


60 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


The young man was quite unconscious of having got 
in the way, until the squaw indignantly waved him 
aside, and then he realized what he had done; and, 
with a murmured apology and a raise of the cap, he 
walked on. 

Nadine gazed after him, forgetting to take another 
photograph. Where was he going?—far on to their 
part of the train? 

The chattering of the squaw diverted her attention 
for one moment, and when she looked again she had 
lost sight of the man. With a feeling of annoyance 
she posed the Indian once more, and then walked briskly 
along the platform to join Eustace and Sadie. The time 
was nearly up, they would have to be returning to the car. 

Before she could join them she caught sight of the 
young man again; he was carrying a small valise now. 
She watched intently, he was certainly going to get 
on to the train. Oh, what a pity that he wasn’t a 
gentleman, and that they would never meet—but what 
was this ? He was actually entering their private car! 
A delicious feeling of excitement came over her. Who 
—who could he be? What if Mumford was mistaken 
and he was a gentleman after all? Even in the few 
days since she had landed in America, she had become 
aware that it was not only the Army, the Church or the 
Bar that society people honoured by adorning! Every 
one they had met was in some business or another, and 
a gentleman who had dined with the party in Chicago 
even owned an hotel! 

All this was very hopeful, but she had not time for 
much reflection; the porter was beckoning to her, while 


THE GREAT MOMENT 61 

he put the little steps for her to get in. She arrived, 
rather breathless, just in time. 

With beating heart and pleasurable curiosity, she 
made her way to the drawing-room, where they all 
generally sat, and there through the doorway she could 
see the stranger in amicable conversation with her father 
and Mr. Bronson. 

She crept quietly in and sat down on the low sofa 
in the background, but in a moment they grew con¬ 
scious of her presence, and Sir Edward called her. 
“ Come, Nadine, I want to introduce Mr. Delaval to 
you. My daughter—Mr. Delaval.” Nadine shyly shook 
hands with him and they sat down. 

“ Mr. Delaval knows all about gold and silver and 
other nice things, Miss Nadine,” Mr. Bronson said. 
“ When we get to Gold Stamp he is going to take us 
down the mine.” 

Some paper that Mr. Delaval had given them seemed 
of great interest to the two elderly gentlemen while 
they studied it at the other end of the saloon, and so 
for a few moments Nadine was left in peace to talk 
to the young man. His grey eyes were the first ones 
she had ever realized were looking at her with interest, 
and a second perfectly delicious thrill came over her. 
She was too shy to begin the conversation, but he 
plunged in: 

“ I hope you will be interested in this rough country 
that we are going to, Miss Pelham.” 

Now she looked up at him. “ Indeed, yes; I know 
that I shall. Do you live there—I mean, is it your 
home ? ” 

He smiled quietly. “ No; my home is down in the 


62 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


South. I am just up here because I am interested in 
mines.” 

“ Tell me about them.” 

Her blue eyes, set rather up at the corners, looked 
like stars at night to Bayard Delaval, peering out of 
the thickest possible black lashes. Her tine ivory-olive 
skin seemed smooth as a tea-rose petal, with the faint 
scarlet flush growing in her cheeks. Could lips be as 
red as that he wondered, without a scrap of paint ? Yes, 
the whole thing was real. An instantaneous fascination 
fell upon him. She was so unutterably different to any 
of the girls that he knew—all the loveliest debutantes in 
Washington and New York, all the rough free-and-easy 
pals of the mining camps. There was no calculation in 
this face, nothing “ cute,” just a beautiful, human, pas¬ 
sionate creature who evidently felt an interest in him, 
as he did in her. 

Women had not mattered very much to Bayard 
Delaval. They had been delightful to pass the times 
of his rare leisure with; they were merely the decora¬ 
tions of life, not the real objective. To do, to achieve, 
was his aim. To wrest from nature a great fortune, 
which should give him power, and complete freedom, 
and presently a voice in his country’s government. He 
had not had the luck to get over to France during the 
war; he had been kept grinding at immense works for 
armament, where his special knowledge had been indis¬ 
pensable. That had been a bitter disappointment; he 
had longed to fight. Now, at thirty-three, life was 
opening for him in a vast way. 

He had a fourth interest in the Gold Stamp Cor¬ 
poration, and was practically king out there at the mine. 

A quiet, reserved, strong character, whom it was 


THE GREAT MOMENT 63 

wiser not to quarrel with, and more advantageous to 
obey. 

Responsibility and self-reliance create personality; 
there was nothing bashful or self-conscious about 
Bayard Delaval. He took a comprehensive look at 
Nadine. Did she really want to hear about the mine, 
or was it just to make conversation? He was not sure, 
so he began: 

“ It is all so very rough and different from any¬ 
thing that I expect you have been accustomed to. We 
shall get to a part of the country presently where there 
is not a blade of grass, not a living tree or flower; just 
sage brush worse than the desert you have come through, 
and the air is scorching and thick with dust, where men 
delve into the earth every day in search of gold.” 

“ It sounds awful,” whispered Nadine. “ I do not 
care a bit about money.” 

“ No, I suppose not,” and a merry twinkle came into 
his keen eyes as he looked at her very perfect frock. 
He knew that kind of exquisite simplicity was the most 
expensive of all; he had often had to pay for it, on his 
trips to New York, when he went back into the civiliza¬ 
tion of his old world again! He looked at her perfect 
silk stockings and shoes and at the string of big pearls 
round her little throat. Sir Edward thought pearls quite 
suitable to a girl, and had given her three on every birth¬ 
day, which now made a perfect necklace. 

“ No, I suppose money has no significance for you,” 
Bayard Delaval said again, and he laughed. 

Nadine never liked people laughing at her. She 
pouted a little. 

“ I mean, of course, one has to have things.” 

“Yes, one has to have things, and the worst of it 


64 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


is that only such a few of them that one wants are 
unaffected and uninfluenced by gold.” 

“ I want freedom—that has nothing to do with 
gold! ” 

“ I want freedom too, but it, of all things, is con¬ 
cerned with gold.” 

“ How?” 

“ Freedom implies liberty to do what you like, and 
go where you like. Well, you can’t stir more than a 
few miles without gold, and you can’t make anyone 
help you without gold. If either of us were to be 
dropped off this train now, having been told we had 
perfect liberty, what would become of us without gold? 
We’d be dead of starvation and thirst in a day or so ; 
but with gold we could bribe that Indian you see over 
there to help us back into some civilization, where we 
could board a train again.” 

Nadine frowned. “ It is civilization I believe I 
hate. I think those Indians look delicious.” 

He smiled again. “ I don’t believe you would like 
their dirty huts, nor, being a woman, having to do all 
the hard work.” 

“ I see you are going to make me say that I don’t 
really want freedom,” and Nadine smiled now. “ Well, 
tell me what your idea of freedom is.” 

“ Freedom is when the spirit’s desires are unham¬ 
pered by material obstacles.” 

“ Oh, that must be wonderful! ” and she sighed. 

“ But the possession of sufficient gold is necessary 
to remove obstacles.” 

“For instance? ” 

“ A man who has to work all day in a mine cannot 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


65 


be said to be free to indulge his spirit’s desires; he 
probably longs to be out in the air, or enjoying some 
sport, or giving pleasure to the girl he loves, or-” 

“ Yes, I see.” 

“ He goes on working and working to earn enough 
gold to make him free.” 

“ How can a woman be free? ” 

“ Women can never be free.” 

“ You—an American—to say that! Why, Miss 
Bronson, who is with us on this trip, says all American 
women are perfectly free, and the men are slaves to 
them!” 

He laughed again, showing very white feeth. 

“ You are arguing upon the basis of seeming, and 
not reality. The question is, have they got what their 
spirits want, or have they only material freedom, and 
are there some obstacles which they cannot overcome, 
either with gold or with cunning? For no matter what 
the obstacle may be, the knowledge that it is there pre¬ 
cludes freedom.” 

Nadine thought of Sadie’s words. How she longed 
for forbidden fruit! Not even Sadie—rich, highly- 
indulged Sadie—was as yet without the attainment of 
her heart’s desire—she had not complete freedom! 

“ Then women cannot come so near to freedom as 
men? ” 

“ No, they have to depend upon men for nearly 
everything that they really want ”; and he looked 
straight into Nadine’s eyes, so that she suddenly looked 
down, and her heart beat a little faster. 

No one had ever talked to her like this before. The 
guests of their own station in life who came to Pelham 

5 



66 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Court treated her always as a child. Eustace, as some 
one of so little interest that conversation with her was 
too fatiguing to continue for long. She had never met 
any young men, other than the parson’s son and one or 
two youths of the neighbourhood, who were sometimes 
asked to play tennis, but never left to talk to her! She 
found herself interested as she had never been in her life. 

It was true what he was saying, of course, this man 
with the deep voice and an intonation that she was 
unaccustomed to. She did not know it was southern, 
she only knew it was not like Mr. Bronson’s, or Sadie’s, 
whose tones were as sharp as a peacock’s. 

She had a sudden feeling that she would like him 
to show mastery; she had no sense of rebellion, which 
was always uppermost when with her father. 

Bayard Delaval had been analysing her. Here was 
a nature as yet unawakened; but what a well of passion 
lay deep there in her eyes! He found himself greatly 
moved. How dull and grey and commonplace his life 
had been of late! He bent a little nearer to her. 

“ This evening after dinner I want to show you 
what the desert means in the starlight, will you come 
out on the observation platform? ” 

But before Nadine could answer, Miss Blenkensop 
came upon them from her compartment, her knitting 
in her hands! 


CHAPTER VII 


B LENKIE at once sensed a danger. If Sir Edward 
wanted his daughter to marry her cousin, it was 
obviously her duty, as duenna, not to allow any attrac¬ 
tive interlopers to intervene! So she sat down in the 
most upright chair that she could see. 

Mr. Delaval took her measure. “ It would be pretty 
hard to put anything over on her! ” he decided. This 
would render his acquaintance with Miss Pelham all 
the more exciting! He made the conversation general, 
and gave Miss Blenkensop some interesting information 
regarding the country and the Indians. Nadine raged 
silently. She was too well trained to show her annoy¬ 
ance though. 

Luncheon made a diversion. Eustace and Sadie 
had been quietly sitting on the observation platform, 
for once left to complete peace! Miss Bronson knew 
men very well, and what were their weak points. She 
had played with them since she was thirteen. Self- 
complacent vanity, she had discovered, was Eustace’s 
chief one. So she soothed him and flattered him and 
made him feel that she thoroughly understood him. 
She looked as innocent as a dove at luncheon, feeling 
quite confident that the end of the trip would see him 
completely her slave. 

“ How are you going to amuse us at Gold Stamp, 
Mr. Delaval?” she asked in a sprightly way. u We 
ought to be rewarded for coming into the desert like 
this.” 


67 


68 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ The aborigines will feel awfully honoured, I know, 
to meet you, Miss Bronson. We must take you round 
to see the gaming tables and the dance halls in the even¬ 
ing, and in the daytime we will go down into the mine.” 

“ That sounds all right. What do you say, Nadine ? ” 

“ I have never been down a mine. Do you have 
a lift?” 

“ A primitive sort of one. We go down six hundred 
feet.” Whatever happened up above ground, he could 
certainly circumvent Miss Blenkensop when in those 
circuitous passages, he reflected; but they were a night 
and two days away from Gold Stamp yet! 

“ I am told things are not nearly so wild in the 
mining camps as they used to be,” Sir Edward said. 

“ I suppose there is a decent hotel? ” 

“ Everything up to date in Gold Stamp, but when 
you get out to the mine it is pretty sketchy. You will 
probably only stay there a night or two, though; some¬ 
times there are some rather rough customers about.” 

Nadine felt excited, she could not have told why; 
she was conscious of Mr. Delaval’s presence. She 
listened to every word he said, even when he was not 
addressing her. He was so different to Eustace or 
any of the boys who came to play tennis! How would 
they be able to arrange their afternoon? She would pre¬ 
tend that she was going to have the usual siesta, and 
indeed she would lie down for a few moments, to allay 
Blenkie’s watchfulness, then she would get up and creep 
quietly through the two saloons to the observation plat¬ 
form, and even if Mr. Delaval was engaged with her 
father and Mr. Bronson, he would see her as she passed 
and possibly make some excuse to get away from them 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


69 


and join her. Blenkie saw her safely to her berth and 
felt reassured. She had heard Sir Edward say at lun¬ 
cheon that they would examine reports afterwards. 
Sadie had apparently gone to her compartment. It 
seemed that the watchdog would be allowed to rest 1 

Nadine got Augustine to come as soon as she knew 
that Blenkie was safely off, and she changed her frock 
to a more becoming one; then she took a book and 
walked through the saloon. She was a little piqued 
because not one of the three men seemed to notice her 
passage; she did not stop to exchange a word with 
Sadie and Eustace, who appeared to be innocently play¬ 
ing dominoes in the drawing-room. 

It was awfully hot out there on the observation 
platform. The sun, which had begun to sink a little, 
seemed to be blazing in. She was glad that she had 
brought an umbrella. 

She settled herself and tried to read, and once or 
twice she nearly fell off to sleep. It was getting late, 
tea would come, and Blenkie!—and there would not 
be another chance probably! A feeling of disappoint¬ 
ment arose in her, and then a resentment. Why were 
things so contrary? And just as she thought she must 
go and see what was happening, the door opened and 
Mr. Delaval came out. He stretched himself in the 
basket chair beside her. 

“ I knew that you were still here, of course,” he 
said. “ I have never before found it hard to keep my 
attention on my work.” 

“And you found it difficult now? It certainly is 
hot.” 

“ I wanted to be out here—in the air.” 


70 THE GREAT MOMENT 

His eyes were smiling at her. Then they both 
laughed. 

“ I came to your home once, about six weeks ago, 
you know, when I was over on the other side. I did 
not know then that there was a you, or I believe I’d 
have lost the steamer and accepted your father’s invita¬ 
tion to stay over the week-end! ” 

“ Papa asked you, and you did not stay. Oh, if 
you only had-! ” 

Then the scarlet flush came into her cheeks—she 
realized that she had said something indiscreet. 

“ Would it have made some difference, then—if I 
had stayed ? ” He was certainly surprised. 

“ It might have—Eu—we had a party arriving that 
afternoon, and some of them were such dull people; 
it might all have been more—fun—if you had stayed.” 

He knew this was not the real reason, and that if 
he were to probe what it really was it would embarrass 
her. He was very tempted to do so, but let it pass 
for the moment. 

“ You have a gorgeous home, Miss Pelham.” he 
said instead. “ I guess I did not even come in by the 
big entrance; I left the taxi man I had taken from the 
station to drive me the way he knew; but even that 
side of the house is pretty fine, and I made the acquaint¬ 
ance of two wonderful old dogs.” 

“ My beloved Sandie and Jean. Yes—I know—” 
“—You know?” 

“ Yes; I saw you out of the window—the windows 
of my room look on to that side-door. It is the way 
every one comes if they arrive from the West Lodge.” 

Mr. Delaval leaned over nearer to her. 



THE GREAT MOMENT 


71 


“ I remember I did look up, and I thought I saw 
some one looking from behind a curtain for a second 
as though they were expecting some one/’ 

Nadine clasped her hands suddenly; the loose suede 
gloves she wore concealed how small they were; she 
felt her engagement ring. She was glad that it was 
hidden. How she hated to think that she was bound 
to Eustace! 

Bayard Delaval was wondering. There was evi¬ 
dently some memory connected with this visit of his 
to Pelham Court—what could it be? 

Nadine did not want him to ask her, so she began 
to talk quickly. 

“ What did you think of Pelham? It is supposed to 
be rather a nice old place/’ 

“ I should say—it’s about three hundred years old, 
isn’t it?” 

“ Some of it was built in 1591, and the rest later, 
We’ve always lived there.” 

“ It must be a wonderful thing to own a place like 
that, to remember when you are walking around that 
the trees have been yours since they sprung from the 
earth, and that every bit of it is full of memories. Your 
father must be a very proud man.” 

“ He is. But oh, Mr. Delaval, you can’t think what 
it is to live under all these memories. They crush you. 
I never feel that I belong to them. I am quite differ¬ 
ent—my mother was a Russian, you know.” 

“ Ah! I was wondering what it was—you don’t 
look English. What a strange force heredity is. Then 
the things your father values don’t mean much to you, 
do they? ” 


72 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“Not a great deal/’ and she looked out into the 
vanishing track. “ I want to live, and not be suffo¬ 
cated by tradition. I want to expand and form my 
own opinions.” 

Bayard Delaval leaned forward again and looked 
long at her. What a very pleasant task it would be 
to assist such a girl to emancipation! 

“ Do they keep you awfully tied up? ” 

“ Oh, I ought not to grumble. Papa is very kind 
and so is every one; but it is the same thing every day 
and always. One must do certain things because the 
Pelhams have always done them. Or one must not do 
certain things, because the Pelhams have never done 
them. The Pelham name, the Pelham name! Some¬ 
times Pd rather be called Smith! ” 

“ I don’t know ”—he lay back in his chair again, 
and grew reflective:—“ to have a name means a stand¬ 
ard to live up to. Over here we value those things 
quite a good deal, those of us who have them; but 
they don’t amount to a red cent unless character goes 
with them.” 

“ Do you know, I believe my father would die, 
willingly, rather than that any disgrace should fall upon 
the family. I think that honour matters to him more 
than affection, or ambition, or anything. It is a freez¬ 
ing atmosphere to live in.” 

“ He’s a great old specimen, isn’t he! ” 

Nadine clasped her hands round her knees and then 
went into one of her peals of laughter. 

“ Oh, it is lovely to hear papa being called ‘ a great 
old specimen! ’ Oh, I wish he could have heard you, 
it would do him good.” 

Mr. Delaval laughed too. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


73 


“ It was inappropriate; we have a lot of strange 
terms out here. When I left Harvard, I never used 
any of them, though, but perhaps I was an awful prig; 
and when I hear your voice, so soft, and the pronuncia¬ 
tion so clear, I begin to appreciate good English again. 
Look over there, did you ever see anything more lonely 
than that solitary figure riding along on that old horse ? ” 

Nadine turned in her chair and looked at the desert 
road, which was nothing but a track beaten in the sand; 
it ran along the route for miles and miles. 

“Oh, poor man! Is he lost?—where can he be 
going ? ” 

“ No, he is not lost; he’ll be pretty hungry and tired 
though, I expect, when he gets to the next Indian 
village.” 

Then he told her, in answer to her eager questions, 
of how rough the life was here out in the wilds, and 
of the lawlessness which used to abound, and of how 
great companies of miners had to be handled. 

“ They have to believe in you, or you can’t lead 
them. Your word’s got to be worth something, and 
your gun’s got to be ready.” 

Nadine looked at him, and a thrill ran through her; 
he was so strong and lithe, and his mouth was so firm. 
She felt that he knew how to command and was afraid 
of nothing on earth. Ah, if only they had lived in the 
olden days, he would indeed have been a knight . . . 

He turned back from gazing at the forbidding 
country and looked at her again. The attraction was 
growing stronger and stronger. He got her to talk, 
to tell him about her life, and what were her tastes and 
desires. And all the time Nadine had the uncomfort¬ 
able feeling that she ought to tell him about Eustace— 


74 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


if he did not know. But perhaps he did know. Then 
she stifled her conscience and told herself that there 
was no necessity to be gratuitous—and she was so enjoy¬ 
ing herself—and- 

“Tea is ready,” said Eustace, putting his head 
through the door. “ Aren’t you people going to have 
any? ” 

“ The English cannot live without their tea, Nadine 
said. “ So of course I must go in,” and very reluc¬ 
tantly she rose. 

“ This track seems to me like life,” she said, as she 
leaned over the rail and watched the objects at each 
side gradually diminishing until they melted into the 
blue distance: “ things seem frightfully large and im¬ 
portant while they are near, and in no time they have 
just got so small they don’t matter a bit.” 

“ Everything depends upon the point of view, and 
sometimes our passions magnify things when they are 
close to us out of all proportion, and it is only when 
we see them in perspective that we can realize how 
foolish we have been.” 

“ Miss Blenkensop says that no one ought to indulge 
in passion, it distorts everything.” 

“ There are passions—and passions,” he said, and 
there was a look in his eyes which made Nadine say 
quickly: 

“ Let’s go to tea.” 



CHAPTER VIII 


M ISS BLENKENSOP wondered why Nadine 
never took off her gloves at tea. She ate nothing, 
to be sure, so it was not necessary, and Blenkie herself 
had always encouraged the wearing of gloves. Ladies 
should have white, well-cared-for hands, she had always 
insisted, and had trained Nadine in these ideas since 
she first came; but she thought one could draw the line 
at tea! 

Nadine was saying to herself: “ If he did see the 
ring at luncheon, then it can’t be helped; but if he did 
not, then he shan’t, until the last minute possible.” So 
she went without some wonderful hot cakes the darkie 
cook had made expressly, and kept her loosely-gloved 
liftle bits of hands in her lap. 

Nadine was very small for an English girl, not over 
five feet two inches high, and her feet and hands were 
the tiniest possible. 

Mr. Delaval had not admired the English giantesses 
during his visit. His attitude towards women was pro¬ 
tective—he preferred the size that he could pick up in 
his arms. 

Miss Bronson was most sprightly at tea; her sophis¬ 
ticated comprehension had taken in that Nadine was 
interested in the young engineer, and she did not intend 
that there should be any pauses in the conversation or 
any chance that this interest should show. It would 
suit her plans very well if, presently, Nadine’s conduct 
could be used as a lever to separate her from Eustace; 

75 


76 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


but at the present moment, to arouse his jealousy, or 
rather his wounded vanity, might re-awaken his inter¬ 
est in his fiancee. So, for her own ends, Sadie played 
into the hands of fate, and aided the pair to circum¬ 
vent Blenkie again. 

The four went out on to the observation platform, 
and then they divided two and two at the far sides, the 
noise of the train quite preventing either couple from 
overhearing the other’s conversation. 

“ Do you like dancing, Miss Pelham? ” Mr. Delaval 
asked. “ We do such a lot of it here.” 

* “I adore it, but I have hardly ever danced with any¬ 
one. I am not what is called ‘ out ’ in England, that 
is, I have not been presented at Court, or been to a 
real ball yet. I danced with a young man for the first 
time in New York.” 

She made this ingenuous confession very sweetly, 
he thought, and how refreshing it was to hear! He had 
grown very sick of the much-fingered peaches he met 
in the cities. It was abominably hard on girls that 
nature had arranged that they could not indulge in 
things, like men, without cheapening themselves; but 
everything for women was unjust, more or less, and a 
girl who had not been mauled about by dozens of fellows 
was delightful to meet. 

He had a sudden feeling of desire for conquest. He 
would love to know that he was the first man who should 
ever hold her in his arms. 

“We will dance at Gold Stamp,” he said eagerly. 

“ Eustace—my cousin—does not think I know how. 
He is precise, like all the rest of the family, and steps 
in measured time, dum, dum, dum. It says absolutely 


THE GREAT MOMENT 77 

nothing to me—I want to forget all about everything 
but the rhythm.” 

She half shut her eyes, voluptuously, and her nostrils 
quivered. She was entirely unconscious that she was 
presenting a sensuously attractive picture to any young 
man sitting next to her; she was not thinking of herself, 
or what effect she was producing. Something in her 
nature was awakening, that was all. 

Bayard Delaval thrilled. Tie knew now that he 
was falling in love with her. And what would this lead 
to? Sir Edward Pelham would never consider him as 
a son-in-law, even though he was quite rich enough 
now to make a very presentable settlement, and he would 
be very rich indeed in the near future. But one of 
another nation—no, he knew that the very idea would 
appear to Sir Edward as impossible. This, however, 
was no great obstacle—a girl had a right to please her¬ 
self, and if he should be able to make her love him, no 
father should stand in the way. 

Like Blenkie’s opposition, her parent’s antagonism 
would make Nadine more precious. 

All this had flashed through his head in the few 
seconds while he was looking at her red, full mouth, 
as she spoke of dancing. He intended to enjoy every 
moment, whether or no nothing further ever came of it. 

They talked of travel after this—neither had seen 
the continent of Europe—and both longed to explore 
Italy and Spain. 

“ I can’t think of anything more divine,” Nadine 
said, “ than to go to Italy with plenty of time, and a 
nice motor ”—then, as she saw the look of awakening 
emotion in his face, she went on hurriedly—“ and, 
and—a nice party of people who liked it too.” 


78 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ I don’t think I should want a party; I would like 
to go just with one person—whom I loved.” His voice 
very deep, had many insinuating tones in it. Nadine’s 
imagination took fire at once. That was the sort of 
trip she too would wish for. 

“ Tell me where you would go first! ” she said a 
little breathlessly. “ In—Italy, I mean.” 

“ Well, supposing we made Genoa our head-quar¬ 
ters, landing there from here; then I’d like to poke about 
there for a bit, and see where that old Navy came from 
that was so great in its day; then I suppose one would 
go north to Milan—and Florence; Florence must be 
wonderful—a city of merchant princes—like us Ameri¬ 
cans. I would like to study the Italian Renaissance 
on the spot, wouldn’t you ? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” whispered Nadine, whose thoughts had 
centred not so much on the pleasure of studying his¬ 
tory but on the intoxicating joy of having a charming 
lover in ideal surroundings! Her eyes were shining. 
“ I suppose there are some people in the world who 
can realize their dreams and go on trips like that.” 

“ ‘ Never the time, and the place, and the loved one, 
all together,’ ” he quoted lightly; “but I don’t believe 
in the word * never. ’ I believe if you want a thing, and 
it is the right thing for you, that just to determine to 
go out and get it, and not let the grass grow under your 
feet, always gets you there in the end. Perhaps, some 
day, Miss Pelham, both you and I will realize our 
dreams.” 

He was looking at her so intently now that she dared 
not look up. She had a feeling that something was 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


79 


tempting her to move very close to him. She had no 
idea of the force of propinquity, she had never heard 
the modern jargon of currents and influences discussed, 
nor anything about “ reactions.” She did not analyse 
her instincts, nor his instincts: nature guided Nadine’s 
subconscious mind; but fortunately for herself her con¬ 
scious one had been disciplined for all her life into 
expressing the conventions. Bayard Delaval, who 
studied all these things, understood this about her, 
and with a thrill he asked himself what would she be if 
freed from inhibitions? He remembered a mountain 
lion cub that he had caught very young and tamed 
once, so that it was apparently the quietest, most obedi¬ 
ent dog, until it gorged itself on raw meat one day-. 

There was one thing quite certain, he must be very 
careful to take no advantage of her. 

“ Well, and after Florence, where then? ” she asked 
with a little pout. She had been wondering why he 
was silent; he was not becoming like Eustace, she hoped, 
uninterested in anything she said. 

“ Well, we’d go to Pisa, and see the leaning tower.” 
Something quivered in her when he said “ We’d,” did 
he mean, he and she? 

“ And we would get down to Rome, and the south, 
and I guess we’d be feeling pretty pagan by then, and 
have a look at Greece.” 

“ I can’t imagine anything more delightful,” 
exclaimed Nadine. “ If—if—the party was sympa¬ 
thetic, and wanted the same things. My governess, 
and papa and I always want each something different. 
It would not be any fun to go with them.” 


80 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Let’s pretend we are going together—just you 
and me.” 

The scarlet pink flush came into her cheeks—she felt 
that she must chaff now, she was feeling so deeply. 

“ I’m horrid to travel with—so capricious. You 
would not like it a bit.” 

“ I should not let you be capricious. A woman is 
not capricious if she is handled the right way.” 

“ You know a great deal about women, Mr. 
Delaval? ” 

“ A pretty considerable amount—they are predatory 
animals, as a rule, cunning as foxes, brave as lions, 
slippery as eels.” 

“ What do they want? ” 

“ A master, and-” 

“ Pouff! ” Nadine interrupted, tossing her head in 
mock indignation. 

“ You did not let me finish—I’d got as far as 
‘ and ’.-” 

“ Well—and what? ” 

“ Lots of love.” 

Nadine looked down suddenly and clasped her hands 
—she felt her engagement ring. Yes, this was true— 
lots of love. This American man had put her uncon¬ 
scious longings into words. This is what she wanted 
of life—this great wonderful thing which mattered far 
more than anything else in the world. 

When she looked up again her blue eyes were a little 
fierce, and her white teeth showed biting together. 

“ Some people do not seem to be allowed any of 
that—they are just made to have duty all the time. I 
have often wondered—what is love? ” 




THE GREAT MOMENT 


81 


“ It is the best thing in life. Half the folks who 
talk about it don’t really know what it means; they 
fritter it all away on silly little sensations. We ought 
never to be satisfied until we have found some one 
who makes up the whole show for us, and then we 
should give the best and the greatest of our being. 
But love for me means fidelity. I’m like your Marquis 
of Montrose in the song: A woman would have to be 
utterly mine in word and thought and look. I’d never 
stand any other fellow hanging around. If I gave her 
the whole of my heart, I’d want the whole of hers.” 

Nadine felt that a great breath of desert air was 
rushing round her, and almost sweeping her off her feet. 

Passion blazed in her eyes as they turned towards 
the young man, but she caught sight of Eustace beyond 
him, reclining with his usual indifferent lassitude, his 
over-bred feet in their immaculate silk socks and per¬ 
fectly-cleaned brown shoes propped up against the bal¬ 
cony rail in front of him. Sadie was doing all the 
talking. This was her fate—a boneless, flabby, over¬ 
civilized partner for life! whom in the end she should 
rule and break into bits; and beside her was—a 
master-. 

Bayard Delaval knew that they were on very dan¬ 
gerous ground, and that he must not let them go too 
far at present; he had an insane longing to take her 
in his arms and teach her all about love. But his will 
was a strong one. So he held back the burning words 
and instead pointed to two Indian horsemen, who were 
riding against the sky line. 

“ Tradition makes those two act in certain ways, 
just as strongly as it probably does you and your cousin 
6 



82 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


in another way. The Indians are stamped with charac¬ 
ter. So are you English—of a certain class. We 
Americans look like a determined sort of people, but 
we are not stamped with anything in particular, because 
we have no traditions, and each man has got to believe 
only in himself.” 

“ But surely that is the best thing to believe in.” 
Nadine felt she was on earth again, something very 
strong had been exalting her. 

“It is all right to believe in yourself if you have 
made the self something that you respect, so that you’d 
never want to put anything over on it that was not fine. 
But if you don’t really amount to anything, it doesn’t 
hold any, and then, things go better when there is 
tradition.” 

“ I hate tradition—I hate ties—I want to be free.” 

“ There you are again, Miss Pelham; but it is not 
really freedom you are desiring, it is understanding.” 

The sun was beginning to sink in the west, the line 
had taken a curve for the last mile, and they seemed 
to be facing the great orange ball of fire. Nadine looked 
over the sage brush to the endless desert, and sighed. 

“ I wonder why the evening is so much more beauti¬ 
ful than the day, and yet always a little sad? The 
desert is hideous at noontime, and now it looks all 
mysterious and enticing.” 

“ Illusion. The desert is the same, only the low 
sun makes the shadows and the colours beautiful, and 
that is why it is sad; we know it is only illusion, really.” 

Nadine rose: “ Let us come away out of illusion 
into the reality of dressing for dinner,” she said, and 
she sighed again. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


83 


He got up with her, and held the door open for her 
to pass into the drawing-room beyond, and as he did 
so a lurch of the car threw her a little against him, so 
that he caught the scent of her hair. 

“ It is a good thing, it isn’t dark 1 ” he said to him¬ 
self, as he turned and sat down again. 

When Nadine reached her compartment, she sank 
into the little chair. She felt that she must not let her¬ 
self think. She would not think. She was going to put 
on an especially becoming frock, and she was going 
to enjoy her evening just as much as the gods would 
let her, come what might. 

“ How did you get on with your bridge, dear? ” 
Miss Blenkensop asked, as she came in on her way 
into the saloon. “ You must be tired, playing all the 
afternoon. Sadie, whom I met just now, said you 
all had had a wonderful game, and had not even finished 
your rubber when you had to leave off to dress.” 

Nadine bent her head; she was no good at decep¬ 
tion, even when it was extremely humorous, as at 
present. 

“ I don’t believe I shall ever be a good player, Blen- 
kie. I don’t think I keep my head enough.” 

“ I have always told you, Nadine, that it is a mark 
of disciplined good breeding to keep your head, as much 
in affairs of card playing as in the affairs of life. It is 
good for you to play either bridge or chess, dear, they 
help as a lesson.” 

Then Blenkie went on: she believed in a sermon in 
season, and the season was so seldom propitious with 
Nadine! 

“ The reason that they had to call up the dear Guards 


84 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Regiments for the most difficult tasks in the war, 
Nadine, was because their perfect discipline would stand 
any test. I am so pleased, dear, that you had so useful 
an afternoon.” 

“ So am I, Blenkie—I learned a lot.” Nadine was 
now almost at laughing point. Miss Blenkensop was 
just leaving, when she turned back and said: 

“ Try not to use slang and bad grammar, Nadine. 
Having to mix with so many people here, hardly of 
your station in life, is very apt to affect the phrasing; 
and I am sure Eustace and your dear father would find 
incorrect language very distressing to their ears.” 

“ I am sure they would! ” and as the worthy Blenkie 
closed the door, I regret to have to write, Miss Pelham 
thrust her tongue out and made a grimace at her govern¬ 
ess like a street urchin, without even remarking whether 
or no Augustine’s back was turned. 

“ Oh, what do I care about phrasing, or grammar, 
or anything,” she said to herself. “ He’s a Man ” 


CHAPTER IX 


AS Nadine went down the passage to the saloon 
for dinner, she kept twisting her engagement 
ring; then she left it with the stone inside—the little 
platinum circle might not catch the eye as much as a 
big diamond, was her half-conscious thought. She 
placed herself opposite Mr. Delaval too, a little obliquely, 
when they sat down to the table, so that the flowers 
might hide her hands. She was demure all through the 
repast—rather silent, unless she talked nicely to Mr. 
Bronson, on her right—and Miss Blenkensop decided 
that she had never seen her pupil behaving in so really 
distinguished a manner, so that after all this American 
trip was not injuring her. 

Bayard Delaval was no young college lad, accus¬ 
tomed to give way to all his feelings. He showed no 
special interest in Miss Pelham now; indeed he had some 
lively sallies for Sadie Bronson, who was always full 
of back talk. So that the dinner passed without any of 
the powers having had their suspicions aroused. 

Would Mr. Delaval really be able to manoeuvre that 
they two could again go and sit on the observation plat¬ 
form? This was all Nadine was thinking about. Mr. 
Delaval apparently had some important plans of the mine 
to look up in his compartment, and asked to be excused 
the moment dinner was over. The two elderly gentle¬ 
men and Sadie and Eustace settled down to bridge and 
Blenkie to her knitting. 

Nadine’s heart sank into her tiny slippers. He 

85 


86 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


might at least have tried to see and talk to her! She 
went into her compartment and fetched The Story of 
Bayard —her fetish; and she sat down in the rear saloon, 
whose door opened on to the platform. She had not been 
there very long, however, when Mr. Delaval came back 
with some papers; but seeing the bridge party made up, 
he could not, of course, disturb them. So in the most 
casual way he strolled past Blenkie and on into the 
farther saloon, and there, as though merely for polite¬ 
ness’ sake he took a chair next Nadine. 

His keen grey eyes were whimsical. 

“If you are in the middle of a wood, and want to 
get to a place at. the right end of it, you’ve sometimes 
got to go out at the left, and round; do you know 
that, Miss Pelham ? ” 

Nadine laughed. 

“ Especially when there are dragons and foxes and 
sheep in the wood.” 

He glanced at Blenkie’s uncompromising back, which 
could be seen through the doors. 

“ She never leaves you, I suppose ? ” 

“ Never. Can’t you understand why I am always 
talking about freedom ? ” 

“ Yes—What is that book you are reading? ” 

“ It is the one that I love best in the world. It is 

the story of Bayard-my knight.” 

He leaned forward eagerly. Could she have said 
that on purpose? but no; she probably did not know 
his name—he would tell her. 

“ My name is Bayard,” he said. Nadine was 
thoroughly startled—that mystic side of her nature, 



THE GREAT MOMENT 87 

inherited from her gipsy mother, concerned itself a 
great deal with omens and coincidences. 

“ Your name—is—Bayard ? How extraordinary! ” 
She gasped a little between the words, while the colour 
came into her cheeks. “If you only knew how awfully 
strange that is! ” 

He was exceedingly interested. 

“ Do tell me why? It is not a very unusual name 
in America; there were two other Bayards at Harvard 
with me.” 

Nadine was staring at him, while she unconsciously 
clasped the book to her breast, forgetting about show¬ 
ing the ring. 

Surely there was fate in this. She had called him 
Bayard—her knight, come to set her free, when she 
had seen him out of the window; and his real name 
was Bayard!—Did coming events cast their shadows 
before ? 

The confusion which she was in showed in her face. 

Mr. Delaval was greatly intrigued. There was some¬ 
thing about his going to Pelham that day, and his name, 
which evidently had power to cause this lovely girl 
great emotion. He would endeavour to find out what 
it could be. 

“ Please tell me why it is so odd that my name 
should be Bayard? ” he asked, bending over nearer 
to her. His action caught the attention of Blenkie, 
who was keeping her eye upon them from the other 
saloon. 

An interested conversation with anyone but her 
fiance should not be countenanced in her pupil, this 
good governess felt, and began picking up a stitch in 


88 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


her knitting preparatory to joining them. Bayard 
Delaval realized there was no time to be lost. 

“ Won’t you tell me?” he pleaded. Then, before 
Nadine could answer, he saw the ring on her left third 
finger, and his face hardened, and a question grew in his 
eyes, which were fixed on her little hand clasping the 
book. 

She realized what had happened with a strange pang 
at her heart, and quickly dropped the book with both 
hands in her lap, while she lowered her head so that 
he could not see her eyes. 

“You are engaged to some one, Miss Pelham?” 
His voice sounded a little hoarse even to himself. 

“ To—my cousin—Eustace.” Nadine’s whisper 
was almost inaudible. 

He began to speak, but Miss Blenkensop was upon 
them with some appropriate remark about the weather. 
So Bayard Delaval crushed back all the wild things 
which he might have said, and got up, ceding his place, 
which Blenkie immediately filled. 

“ I think there is going to be a thunderstorm,” and 
he glanced out of the window; then he strolled back 
to the others at the bridge table. For once Nadine 
gave way to her feelings. She could have killed Blenkie! 

“ Can’t you ever leave me alone ? ” she cried angrily, 
and bounding up with her precious book, she went 
out into the night, slamming the platform door after her. 

Miss Blenkensop was too dumbfounded and horrified 
to express herself, and dropped two stitches in her 
knitting! 

When the cool air blew upon Nadine’s face, she put 
up her hand and loosened her hair in the front, letting 


THE GREAT MOMENT 89 

the wind blow through it. It seemed as though it would 
help her to think. 

All pleasure was over; he knew now that she was 
tied and bound to Eustace, and he would not show 
interest in her any more most probably. How hateful 
everything was! 

The overmastering influence of her father still held 
her so strongly that she never once thought of open 
rebellion. She could storm and rage, but the idea of 
breaking chains never occurred to her. She was just 
a poor miserable animal in a cage banging itself against 
iron bars. 

And by the bridge table Bayard Delaval was cursing 
fate. Why had he not noticed the ring before? He 
did not suppose that she had deliberately hidden it 
from him, as indeed why should she? They had only 
met that morning for the first time, he could not yet 
matter to her enough for her to have wished to deceive 
him. No, it was just his own stupidity. Engaged to 
Eustace Pelham!—How had such a chap been able to 
get by with it? A family arrangement of course. In 
th^t old fool place, Europe, they could still put over 
stunts like that, he supposed. Of course the girl could 
not care for such a fellow—and he looked down at 
Eustace’s delicate hands holding the cards. But at least, 
until he knew that the engagement was against her wish, 
it would not be the straight thing to do to make up to 
her. He would stick to friendship, and grow to know 
her mind. But since she was brimful of passion, and 
life, and was quite unaware of it, or that there was 
danger ahead, it would be wiser not to court temptation 


90 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


by going out on the observation platform to look at 
the stars, as had been his intention. 

Sadie Bronson, however, disposed of matters in her 
own way. She was “ out ” for the moment, and leaned 
back in her chair. 

“ Oh, isn’t it hot, Mr. Delaval,” she said. “ Let’s go 
and get a breath of air,” and she rose and went to the 
platform door, and the young man was obliged to follow 
her. They found Nadine leaning over the rail gazing 
at the stars—a heavy black cloud seemed to make those 
below it more bright. 

“I wonder what they mean?” she said, pointing 
to the sky—“ if they are really worlds, or only angels’ 
eyes watching us? ” 

“ How tired they must get night after night for 
thousands of years, seeing the same old games; but 
I never did think angels had much of a fine time any¬ 
way,” Miss Bronson remarked. “ It is the devils who 
get all the candies.” Then, after a few more pertinent 
sentences, she turned back to the door again. 

“ You’d better give Miss Pelham a lesson in astron¬ 
omy, Mr. Delaval: ‘ Up above the world so high, like a 
diamond in the sky! * I’m for spades and clubs in 
the saloon.” 

“ And how about hearts, Miss Bronson ? What will 
you do with them ? ” and he held the door for her. 

“ I’ll leave them for you to play with on the obser¬ 
vation platform, Mr. Delaval! ” and with a saucy back¬ 
ward glance she went from them. 

Nadine was very nervous. She felt that she must 
talk at once so as to avoid anything serious. She was 
so inexperienced, she had no idea of leading a conver- 


THE GREAT MOMENT 91 

sation in the way she would have wished, so she blurted 
out. 

“ Isn’t Sadie a delightful person, so full of fun. I 
wish I were an American girl-” 

“ I don’t; you are much more interesting as you 
are—there is so much to discover in you.” 

“ I don’t think that I know myself.” 

“ I am sure you do not. You may give yourself a 
great surprise some day.” 

“ I suppose it is wrong of me to have such instincts, 
but I so often get wild feelings that I must just run 
away and live like a gipsy; and do you know, there are 
some kinds of music which drive me crazy.” 

“ You are half Russian, didn’t you say? ” He was 
thinking she looked like a gipsy there under the stars, 
with the yellow light falling upon her dimly from the 
saloon windows behind. Her olive-ivory skin, and very 
black hair, ruffled and curly now, where she had loosened 
it, appeared so extremely un-English. 

“ Yes; my mother was a Russian princess—I do 
not know from what part. I suppose papa loved her 
very much, because he never speaks of her; she died 
when I was only a year old.” No one had ever told 
Nadine that her mother was a gipsy. “ I put flowers 
on her tomb every Saturday when we are at home; 
but I don’t think it means anything much, putting 
flowers on people’s bodies, when their spirits are far 
away, do you ? ” 

“ No. Don’t you wonder where the spirits are 
while we look up at the sky at all the stars? everything 
seems so vast there, and we seem just atoms-” 




92 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ I can’t think what we are here for, with everything 
we want forbidden ”—she sighed impatiently. 

“What is forbidden you?” he asked. But now 
Nadine pulled herself together; the half inherited from 
her father prompted her to remember it was not quite 
good taste to confide in one who was almost a stranger, 
so she laughed a little nervously and answered vaguely, 
that it was probably only her foolish fancies. Bayard 
Delaval was going through a strong temptation there, 
with the soft summer air around them, and the great 
desert stretching away right and left, while the track 
diminished as they left it behind them. No one who has 
not leaned over the platform rail of an observation car, 
at the end of a swiftly-moving train, can realize the 
weird sensation it gives. He was very close to Nadine 
too, and propinquity is a wonderful thing, especially 
in the half dark! But the character of the man asserted 
itself. He had decided he would stick to friendship. 
So he spoke now almost coldly—of the rough town 
they were going to, of the cheery character of the miners, 
and their quaint laws and observances. His whole 
manner had altered from what it had been during 
the day. 

“ While a man is married he takes good care of his 
wife out there,” he said at last; “but you can get a 
divorce almost while you wait——! ” 

Just as he said this, the door opened, and Sir Edward 
came out. He had looked up from his bridge when 
Miss Bronson returned, and suddenly became aware of 
both his daughter’s and the young mining engineer’s 
absence from the saloon beyond, while Miss Blenkensop 
Could be seen knitting agitatedly by the outer door. 



THE GREAT MOMENT 


93 


The rubber had ended a moment or two after, and he 
rose while they were shuffling the cards, and came to 
her. 

“ Where is Nadine, Miss Blenkensop? ” he asked, a 
little sternly. 

“ She has remained upon the balcony with Mr.* 
Delaval, Sir Edward. In spite of incurring her anger, 
I was just about to join them.” 

Sir Edward frowned. 

“ Why should she be angry at your coming? ” 

“ I regret to say Nadine quite lost her ,temper just 
now, and reproached me for never leaving her alone.” 
Blenkie’s knitting needles flashed fiercely, she moved 
them so rapidly. 

Sir Edward lit a cigarette, then he opened the 
balcony door. 

What he saw was two young backs leaning over the 
rail, and Mr. Delaval was pointing to the north as 
though explaining something. This seemed innocent 
enough, but Sir Edward knew the world and the nature 
of man, even if that of woman was a fearsome mystery 
to him. And summer nights under the stars, from 
time immemorial, had been blamed for kindling cer¬ 
tain desires. 

He had come out quite in time, he decided. Bayard 
Delaval turned to him without the least embarrassment. 

“ By to-morrow evening we shall be at Gold Stamp,” 
he announced. “ It is there to the north-east.” 

“ Isn’t it all delightful ? ” Nadine said. She was far 
from feeling calm. She feared her father would be 
displeased with her, and that frightened her, and she 


94 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


was chilled by the stiffness which had come into Mr. 
Delaval’s tones. 

Yes, all fun was over. He would not bother with 
her now he knew that she was engaged. And because 
he had become, not only forbidden fruit—which he had 
been from the beginning—but out of her reach as well, 
her interest in him had begun to grow proportionately. 
Every woman probably has felt at some time of her life 
just what Nadine was experiencing. 

All the wild part of her nature was seething, and 
all the part in fear of her father held it in check. 

“ It is quite time that you were in bed, child/’ Sir 
Edward said. “ It is after ten, and you have had a 
long day.” 

Nadine knew that this was an order, so long habit 
made her obey and say good-night, but her father felt 
that the swish of her skirts as she passed him and the 
peck she gave his cheek, as she kissed him breathed 
resentment. 

When she was gone, he talked long to his chief 
engineer; and being a just man, if filled with old- 
fashioned prejudices, he was obliged to admit to himself 
that he was a very intelligent and long-headed fellow. 
While in spite of his American slang, which was so apt 
as to be interesting, he was absolutely a gentleman! 

“ Delaval? ” Sir Edward said to himself. “ From 
decent stock, undoubtedly. I wonder if he knows from 
which branch he has come? ” 

Nadine had literally bounced past Miss Blenkensop 
and had given Eustace a frigid good-night. He and 
Sadie and Mr. Bronson were showing each other card 
tricks. No parent’s commands would have decided the 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


95 


bed hour of Miss Bronson-! who intended to show 

Mr. Pelham the Great Bear, and the Pleiades herself, 
presently. 

She kissed her hand lightly to Nadine, who mur¬ 
mured something about fatigue and disappeared. 

Augustine was waiting for her mistress, but was 
quickly dismissed; and then when she was alone, Nadine 
threw herself down upon the sofa, and angry tears 
scorched her eyes. 

His name was Bayard. Surely fate in some way 
must be going to make him her knight! But he did 
not seem at all interested now. He had talked of such 
a lot of technical things. Not of the stars, and he had 
not insisted that she should tell him why it was odd 
that his name should be what it was. 

She felt that she hated Eustace. She hated Blenkie. 
She almost hated her father; but here her thoughts 
stopped in fear again. There would never be any getting 
away from papa. 

Her senses seemed to be all on the alert. It almost 
seemed that, in spite of the noise of the train, she could 
hear the gramophone—Victrola, Sadie called it—and 
was she dreaming, or was it playing that Russian music 
—which she had heard on the ship ? 

She jumped up and opened her door a little. Yes, 
now she could hear more painly. She undid the few 
pins in her rather short curly hair, and shook it out. 
Then she began to dance, as if in spite of herself. The 
music was very indistinct, and presently she sank again 
into a low chair. 

She rocked herself to and fro for a minute, fiercely. 
Here she was a prisoner—alone—and only through the 


96 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


wooden wall was some one whom she wanted—near, 
very near her—and whom she might not have. Then 
suddenly she fell to sobbing, and so at last crept into 
her bed. 

And out on the observation platform, Sadie Bron¬ 
son, who knew all about the effects of propinquity, 
allowed the rocking of the train to shake her nearer 
and nearer to Eustace Pelham, until their shoulders 
were touching as they leant over the rail;—and when 
she knew that she had begun to awaken some kind of 
emotion in him, she too demurely said she was tired 
and would go in to bed. 

“ Now I guess I shan’t have to do much more chas¬ 
ing,” she said to herself complacently. “ He’s on the 
trail. . . ” 


CHAPTER X 


S IR EDWARD and Miss Blenkensop prevented a 
moment’s tete-a-tete between Mr. Delaval and 
Nadine until they arrived at bustling, busy Gold Stamp. 
And because it was a human agency, and not fate which 
had intervened, some stubborn quality in the young 
man came uppermost, and made him determine to make 
opportunities for himself in spite of his knowing it 
was better not to do so, and having already decided that 
he would keep to friendship! But he could not bear the 
idea of Sir Edward and that stern governess getting 
the better of him! 

The Gold Stamp hotel was like all American hotels 
of mushroom growth, filled with every convenience, if 
devoid of beauty. But there was a ball room with a 
good floor and a stirring band, which played rhythmic 
syncopated music. The place was full of mine owners 
and business men and a certain amount of the miners 
themselves. Magnificent, stalwart creatures, with a 
careless insouciance which marks them out from any 
other vocation in America. 

There were very few women to be seen. 

Nadine noticed that everywhere Bayard Delaval 
was greeted with cordial respect. 

She made herself look as lovely as possible in the 
simplest of her Paris frocks for dinner, and came down 
with Miss Blenkensop, hoping that something would 
turn up. She had fretted like a horse on too tight a 
curb all the day in the train, knowing full well that 
7 97 


98 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


her father now had instructed Blenkie to circumvent 
any possible talks with the young American. But surely 
if Sadie suggested dancing after dinner they could not 
prevent her dancing with him! 

Sadie did suggest dancing, and although Sir Edward 
in his heart disapproved of his daughter dancing in a 
mining hotel ball room, he was too courteous to cast a 
reflection upon his partner’s child by forbidding his 
own from participating in the amusement. He merely 
said to Eustace: 

“ My dear boy, I think you had better look after 
Nadine.” 

Mr. Delaval, with great tact, had already asked Miss 
Bronson to dance, and the four started. Nadine had 
difficulty to control her temper. All joy had left her, 
her feet felt like lead, and Eustace said: 

“ You are dancing beautifully, Nadine; you see, dear 
child, it was only because you were not used to my step 
—your time is perfect now.” 

“ I am sure it is,” she snapped rather bitterly; that 
is just how life would be, with him; of course they 
would all think her perfect when she had not a scrap 
of spirit left! 

She watched Sadie and Mr. Delaval with the corner 
of her eye. It was plain to be seen that He knew all 
about dancing! Oh! what would it be to whirl round 
in his arms like that; would this tiresome old fox-trot 
never end! . . . 

It did finish at the usual time, and the two couples 
joined each other. Nadine had purposely stopped at 
the farther side of the room from where her father 
and Blenkie stood. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


99 


“ Oh! Nadine, Mr. Delaval is too glorious to dance 
with—you just try!” Miss Bronson exclaimed 
ecstatically. 

The pauses between the dances were extremely short, 
and as she spoke a valse struck up. 

“I hate valses,” Eustace announced; “let us go 
and sit down, Miss Bronson.” 

Sadie complied, and Nadine found herself floating 
away in Mr. Delaval’s arms! 

If she had been exalted by the mere fact of dancing 
with the uninteresting young man in New York, she 
now felt almost intoxicated, her pleasure was so great. 
Every sensuous instinct in her half-gipsy nature was 
awakened—the music, the lights, the motion, and being 
so near to the man whom quite unconsciously she had 
now begun to love, seemed to transport her into some 
voluptuous paradise; and the power of her magnetism 
absolutely pervaded Bayard Delaval; wild fire seemed 
to enter his blood; he clasped her close to him, even if 
she belonged—or rather was going to belong—to some 
one else, this moment was theirs! 

Fate seemed to be benign to them for that evening! 
Mr. Bronson was engaging Sir Edward in deep conver¬ 
sation with a number of the mining magnates, and his 
back was turned to them. Miss Blenkensop also had 
been introduced to a Sheriff’s wife. 

The perfect rhythm of the valse carried the pair on in 
a kind of exquisite dream. Their hearts were beating 
close together. 

They never paused a second until the music stopped, 
and then both were a little pale. Bayard Delaval was 
accustomed to control all his emotions, and his speech; 


100 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


so he said nothing ecstatic and held himself sternly in 
hand, but all these wonderful sensations were quite new 
to Nadine, and she could not successfully hide them; 
her eyes were misty and soft with passion, and her lips 
looked like ripe cherries. 

He knew very well that if they had been alone at 
that moment nothing could have kept them from falling 
into each other’s arms. . . . He must not dance with 
her again that night. He must act up to his standard 
of a square game. He knew quite well what she was 
feeling, and the temptation to tell her that he loved her 
was immense. 

He tried to say something very ordinary, and asked 
if he might bring up one or two great friends of his 
who were in the hotel. 

Nadine came to earth; she bowed, and he took her 
across to Miss Blenkensop while he pretended to look 
for the young men. 

He went outside into the night air, his temples felt 
as though they were bursting. 

As he stood there, one of the very boys, Hickory 
Cannon, whom he intended to introduce, came up to 
him, and together they went back into the ball room, 
and the introduction was made, and as Nadine went 
off to dance with the new-comer, Bayard joined the 
group of the elderly gentlemen. 

Nadine felt deeply aggrieved. He did not want 
to dance with her, then? Had she not danced well, 
or was it only because he knew she was engaged ? Her 
utterly untrained emotions were causing her anguish 
almost. She knew nothing about love or how it came 
to people. She had only her own imagination to guide 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


101 


her as to what it might be. She had no conscious 
thought that she was in love with Bayard Delaval, she 
only knew, dumbly, like an animal, that every fibre of 
her body desired to be near him, that she hated him to 
have gone off to her father, away from her, like that. 
The boy she was dancing with was an excellent partner 
too, and gradually the disturbed emotion subsided in 
the perfect exercise, and the Pelham half of Nadine 
could reassert its influence. 

She must not be so foolish as she felt she certainly 
had been. Perhaps she had shown Mr. Delaval too 
plainly that she had found the valse divine! 

But what was the boy she was now dancing with 
saying about Bayard and a wonderful story of shoot¬ 
ing and coolness of head? 

“No yellow dog likes to get within range of his gun 
—if it comes to a show down! ” he said. 

“ Do you mean that you really shoot people here ? ” 
Nadine asked aghast. “ I thought that was only in 
Bret Harte’s tales! ” 

“We did a little of that during the strikes last year 
—the boys’ blood was up, and there was an ugly gang 
around who had not played square with the Prince— 
that’s what we call old Bayard—but he settled ’em! ” 

“ Oh! do tell me about it! ” implored Nadine. And 
so they stopped dancing and went and sat down and 
Hickory Cannon began. 

He told of how there was one particularly mean 
desperado who had led the others on in a false claim 
to another man’s ground; and how Bayard had righted 
the matter, and then in revenge the man had shot at 
him when he was returning from the mine unarmed, 


102 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


and wounded him badly in the left arm; and how they 
had picked him up half dead from loss of blood; and 
then of how, when he was well again, a month or two 
after, and happened to be in one of the dance halls 
standing by the bar, the same man came in, and again 
Bayard happened to be unarmed because he had been 
dancing. The man came up to a few paces from him, 
and pointed his gun at him, and told him to hold up his 
hands. He fixed the brute with his eye, put his hand 
behind his back and pretended not to hear. The bar¬ 
tender understood the signal and pushed a gun into his 
hand. Then the man roared “ he’d be revenged this 
time! ” and as he fired, Bayard fired too, and shot him 
dead. 

This was the substance of the boy’s tale. 

“ Mr. Delaval—killed a man?” Nadine’s voice 
was awed. 

“ Why certainly; that’s why we respect him: he 
always stands for fair play, and isn’t afraid to shoot 
to enforce it! ” 

Nadine thrilled—here was a master indeed! She 
suddenly thought of Eustace, and then she laughed. 
How Eustace would hate rowdy dance halls, and having 
to be ready to shoot on sight! She did not imagine 
that he would be a coward. No Pelhams were; but 
the familiarity and the rough and tumble would so dis¬ 
gust him! 

He came up just then, his conscience rather guilty 
because his acquaintance with Miss Bronson had, he 
began to be afraid, developed into a kind of flirtation! 
Sadie had been extremely alluring during the valse they 
had sat out. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 103 

She had a look of frank innocence upon her sparkling 
face. She had instinctively understood that she must 
now be very careful in her handling of this English¬ 
man! If once he became thoroughly aware that he 
was attracted to her, that grace of breeding in him 
would cause him to pull up from good taste. It must 
be so insidious, the spell she cast upon him, that he 
would be floundering before he was aware of it. A 
little jealousy might not come amiss! So she threw 
a glance at the young ore assayist, Hickory Cannon, 
which had a challenge in it he quite understood. Here 
was a girl of his own country, ready for a lark! and he 
would not have to mind what he was saying as he felt 
he perhaps would have to with the stranger. So he 
deserted Nadine gladly, and started off with Sadie leav¬ 
ing the fiancees alone. Sir Edward looked over to them 
now, they did not appear to be amusing themselves he 
thought. Would marriage make any difference? The 
question was a troublous one to face. 

Meanwhile Bayard Delaval was going through un¬ 
wonted disturbance of mind. He had not felt this 
violent emotion towards a woman since he was a college 
lad. He was angry with himself that anything should 
have such power over him. He hated to know Nadine 
was now dancing with her fiance. He hated to think 
anyone had the right to touch her! More of Montrose’s 
song rang in his head: 

“As Alexander I will reign, 

And I will reign alone; 

My thoughts did ever more disdain 
A rival on my throne.” 

That is how he felt and had always felt about women. 
All or nothing—worship or indifference. And as far 


104 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


as he could see in this case it must be indifference. He 
turned to the group of old gentlemen, and it chanced 
that Mr. Bronson drew him close to the dancers, so 
that when Eustace and Nadine stopped it was beside 
them. And when the music began again Mr. Bronson 
was talking to Eustace, who seemed absorbed in what 
he was saying. Nadine could not keep a look of invita¬ 
tion from her eyes. Bayard bent nearer to her, meaning 
to tell her that he had business to talk over with her 
father and must go, but she took it to mean that he 
would dance, so she placed her hand on his arm. He 
knew that she was too timid and sensitive for him to 
say baldly that this had not been his intention, as he 
would have done in a second to Sadie Bronson, so there 
was nothing for it but to go on. 

The moment he held her close to him the same wild 
joy filled Nadine, and she turned her radiant face up 
to him in answer to some quite casual thing he had 
said, just as her father happened to join Mr. Bronson 
close to where they paused. It was a revelation to Sir 
Edward. It was Nada looking at him all over again, 
as she stretched herself towards him along the table 
among the broken glass—just the same voluptuous pas¬ 
sionate abandon. Good God! What was to be done! 

He could not say that the young man was presum¬ 
ing. There was no look of “ come hither ” in his face; 
indeed, his closely cut features appeared rather stern. 

He could not stop his daughter in the middle of the 
dance, but she should go to bed the moment it was 
finished! And the next time they came round, Nadine 
caught her father’s icy glance—and the old fear returned 
to her—so that she quickly made up her mind. She 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


105 


would not wait for him to make some freezingly polite 
remark about the lateness of the hour, or some other 
excuse, but she would go up to him, and say she was 
tired, of her own accord. 

Bayard Delaval felt the change in her, and he looked 
down and saw her full under-lip quiver. 

“ What is the matter? ” he asked, perhaps a little 
too tenderly. “ The life seems suddenly to have gone 
out of your feet! ” 

“ It has,” she whispered. “ I am tired. I think I 
will say good night now.” 

They stopped close to her father, and Nadine put 
out her hand. 

“ Good night, Mr. Delaval,” she said politely. 
“ Papa, where is Blenkie ? I suppose we shall have to 
be up very early to-morrow to go to the mine, so we 
had better be seeking our little bye-byes now.” 

Sir Edward was nonplussed—he did not expect this 
sensible decision on her part!—he unfroze, and stood 
talking to her and the young mining engineer until 
Eustace and Blenkie came up and joined them. 

“ Aren’t you tired, Blenkie? ” Nadine said. “ I am. 
Let’s go.” 

And then they said good night all round. Sir 
Edward found himself very much disturbed as he talked 
to Bayard Delaval and Mr. Bronson later on. The 
young man was so sensible—so quiet, so resourceful. 
There was nothing in him to find fault with. The only 
thing he—Sir Edward—could possibly do was to keep 
a more careful watch upon his daughter. A sense al¬ 
most of resentment came over him when he thought of 
Eustace. He was certainly not an ardent lover. He 


106 THE GREAT MOMENT 

would give him a hint on the morrow to quicken his 
paces a bit. 

They were to start at eight in the morning in auto¬ 
mobiles especially built to go over the rough, uneven 
ground, and get away about fifty miles off to the new 
camp of Gold Rock, where the Gold Stamp Mining 
Corporation owned the wonderful new mine. Here 
they would stay for the night in the one extremely primi¬ 
tive board-shanty hotel. 

They calculated they would arrive there somewhere 
about ten; the going could not be break-neck because 
the road was a mere track among the sage brush up a 
mountain side. 

At Gold Rock there would be horses that those who 
wished could ride. 

Mr. Delaval had arranged it all in the best way the 
limited resources of the place permitted of. But there 
were no side-saddles to be got in the whole town! How¬ 
ever, Miss Bronson had solved the difficulty. She had 
two American riding-suits with her, and one she would 
lend to Nadine to ride astride. When the two girls had 
talked about it just before dinner Nadine had been 
full of glee. 

“ Just fancy papa’s and Blenkie’s faces when they 
see me in boots and breeches, Sadie! They will nearly 
die! We must not let them catch a glimpse of us until 
we are starting! It will be enchanting fun.” 

The maids and valets were going to be left behind at 
Gold Stamp, and only the smallest valises would be taken 
on to the mine. 

Augustine, who had been given a parcel to put into 
Miss Pelham’s scanty luggage by Sadie’s maid, had a 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


107 


look of great disapproval on her face when Nadine went 
up to bed. That her Mademoiselle should be going to 
put on what was nothing but the suit of a boy and ride 
about like a man! Well, if Mademoiselle Blenkensop 
permitted it, it was not her affair—but it was hardly 
convenable! ! ! 

Nadine, however, was jubilant; and when she was 
quite alone she pulled out the natty little garments and 
tried them on. Just a pair of very neat covert coating 
breeches and a well-tailored coat; and with her black 
curls tucked under a soft felt hat and a plain crepe-de¬ 
chine blouse she looked just a pretty little boy. 

But the newness of it! The delight in the uncon¬ 
ventionality. 

The childish part of her nature, forgot the more 
serious passions of budding womanhood, and instead of 
thinking over her sad fate in having to marry Eustace, 
or indulging in sentimental heart-burnings over Bayard 
Delaval, her mind became only concerned with wonder¬ 
ing what he would think of her in the new guise! 

So her sleep was peaceful and sound, and she woke 
the next morning fresh and beautiful, with no fore¬ 
boding or any presentiment that Fate in twenty-four 
hours would change her whole life. 


CHAPTER XI 


T HE morning was glorious and everybody seemed 
to be in the best of tempers at breakfast. Eustace, 
who had been given a hint by Sir Edward was a little 
more ardent in his attentions to Nadine. He deliberately 
sat beside her in the automobile with Blenkie beyond, 
leaving the Bronsons and Sir Edward and Mr. Delaval 
to go in the other car when they started for the mine. 

Nadine was going through what every girl has felt 
when she is first in love. She was conscious that she 
was very disappointed and that her whole desires were 
with the young American. 

Why could he not have tried to come in the same 
motor with her? To be so near to Eustace as they had 
to be, there in the back seat, was an irritation to her, 
especially when, dutifully, he attempted to take her hand 
under the rug. 

She snatched it from him with scant ceremony, and 
carefully kept them both outside in her lap for the rest 
of the journey. 

Eustace looked over his collar at her, affronted, and 
did not try any more affectionate caresses. He felt that 
he was growing positively to dislike his future wife. 

The going was rough, the road a mere wagon-track, 
with deep ruts; both Miss Blenkensop and Nadine were 
very much bumped about. 

Gradually the cars began to get nearer the mountains 
and commenced to climb, passing now and then poor 
tramps on their way to fortune—or extinction—a weary 
108 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


109 


walk of miles in front of them. The country began to 
get very impressive as the desert was left behind, low 
pine-trees springing from the rugged crags. Most of 
it was marked with “monuments/’ that is, piles of 
stones four feet high, to mark the “ claims ” already 
annexed. 

Then at the summit, a wonderful view met their 
eyes far down below again, a vast sea of sand with 
high mountains all around it, some snow tipped, weirdly 
desolate. 

Eustace made appropriate remarks now and then, 
but Nadine was absolutely silent. Her whole mind now 
was set upon Bayard Delaval. 

They passed several mule teams dragging water and 
provisions. The place they were going to produced 
neither. 

When they came to a small gasolene filling station, 
the other car was waiting for them. 

Whether the concentrated thoughts of the two young 
women, desiring a change of occupants, had anything 
to do with it or no, certain it was that somehow or 
another, when they all got out for a stretch, the new 
combination which went on again was Nadine in the 
middle between her father and Mr. Delaval in one car, 
and Blenkie, Sadie, and Eustace in the other, with Mr. 
Bronson beside the driver. 

Sadie had probably arranged this with her usual tact. 

And now the more bumpy the road, the more Nadine 
enjoyed herself! 

Absolute thrills were running through her—as every 
girl has experienced when close to the man she loves. 

Mr. Delaval was being an intelligent guide, that 


110 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


would seem to be all. He talked principally to Sir 
Edward, but when some particularly wicked piece of 
road threw Nadine almost into his arms, she felt some¬ 
how that he was not unresponsive. In her whole life 
she had perhaps never been so happy as during that 
hour reaching the rough mining camp. 

It came in view at last, at about eleven o’clock, 
after they had come down from the mountain and 
crossed the sand plane into the desert again. Gold Rock 
was just a cluster of rough shanties, and canvas lean- 
to’s and tents, and a few boarded stores, and the sheriff’s 
office, and a board hotel, which had been run up in the 
last four months. 

Everybody was much interested and amused. And 
the ladies were shown to their rooms by the quaint 
western landlady—a desert character beloved by all the 
miners within miles. 

What Mrs. O’Hara did not know about the natures 
of men was not worth mentioning! 

“ Come along, dearie,” she said to the aghast Blen- 
kie; “ tain’t a palace, but we’ll give yh’ the best we can.” 

Miss Blenkensop resented greatly being called 
“ dearie ” by such a “ person.” But Nadine and Sadie 
delighted in the jolly corpulent creature, and laughed 
heartily with her, when they had left Blenkie safely in 
her room. 

These bedrooms were the most primitive places— 
common iron or wooden beds, a battered chest of 
drawers, an absurdly distorted mirror over it, and the 
most uninviting-looking wash-basin and pitcher on an 
upturned box; while bits of ragged calico hung at the 


THE GREAT MOMENT 111 

window for curtains, and a patchwork quilt covered 
the bed Nadine was to have. 

They had each a room, however, which was a rare 
luxury in these parts! 

“ See I’ve put yh’ a clean toilet cover, for yhr dandy 
brushes and combs,” Mrs. O’Hara announced with a 
heavy wink, and her tongue in her cheek, as she pointed 
to the newspaper freshly laid over the board top of the 
chest of drawers. Then, gurgling with fat laughter she 
left them. 

“ Now what I’ve done,” confided Sadie in Nadine’s 
ear, is to make poppa get off in the motor with your 
dad, leaving Mr. Pelham and Mr. Delaval to ride with 
us. They’ll start first, because Air. Delaval says the 
automobile road is much farther round than the track 
we shall take, so they won’t see your get-up until we 
get to the mine. Sir Edward will be startled, won’t he ? ” 

Nadine was wild with glee, and Sadie left her to 
change into the riding things. 

Miss Blenkensop was to remain behind, as she had 
no head for swinging into the bowels of the earth, she 
confessed; and before the two girls emerged from their 
rooms on to the narrow landing, she had already retired 
to a much-needed rest. 

Blenkie. was a woman not much past forty, but 
“old maid” was stamped on every line of her; and 
only a stern sense of duty could make her alter her 
regular habits, and duty to see the riding party start 
did not seem to be calling her. 

Nadine felt aggrieved that there was no mirror in 
her room, where she could see how she looked in her 


112 THE GREAT MOMENT 

boy’s clothes—only the tiny thing above the chest of 
drawers. 

She felt very shy and very excited as she pulled her 
neat riding-boots onto her tiny feet, and stood in her 
crepe-de-chine blouse and the covert-coating riding- 
breeches, then came the coat and hat and gloves, and, 
taking her hunting-crop, she was complete. 

But for quite five minutes she had not the pluck 
to go into the passage, and was standing hesitating, 
when Bayard Delaval’s deep voice could be heard calling 
from beneath the window: “ Are you ready, Miss Pel¬ 
ham? We ought to start.” 

So Nadine plucked up courage and boldly went 
down. 

Sadie was already there, perfectly at home in her 
costume, as it was the natural American riding-dress. 
Eustace had just told her how charming she looked. But 
when Nadine appeared he could not restrain an exclama¬ 
tion of surprise. She seemed the most delicious little 
figure and utterly unlike anything she had ever looked 
before. Her black curls escaped from the soft felt hat 
in a way none of her family would have approved of. 

If Sadie had not been in the same costume, Eustace 
would have expressed his feelings to his financee. 
Bayard Delaval, on the contrary, found Nadine every 
thing that was attractive. She had not the slightest 
look of an Englishwoman, she might have been some 
slender gipsy boy. 

She was as light as a feather as he mounted her on 
to the back of one of the not-too-wild-looking nags 
which were all Gold Rock could boast of; then he sprang 
into the saddle of another beside her and off they started. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


113 


Nadine, now thoroughly at home and in her element, 
was as gay as a schoolboy. Anything to do with a 
horse came naturally to her. 

She had quite determined that to-day she meant to 
enjoy herself, cost what it might of her father’s anger. 
She meant to keep Mr. Delaval with her and just let 
herself go. 

Sadie and Eustace were mounted now, and the 
four started out of the camp in high spirits; Nadine’s 
rebuff to him during the drive had eased Eustace’s con¬ 
science in regard to his flirtation with Miss Bronson, 
and he too meant to enjoy his day. And no black care 
rode behind any of the horsemen. 

Nothing could surpass the wildness of the country 
they rode through—sage brush and huge rocky crags, 
and then parts where even there was no living thing. 

Sometimes one pair was ahead, and sometimes the 
other, and now and then all four halted to gaze at a 
view. 

“ It looks just the place for rattlesnakes,” said Sadie 
lightly. “ I should not care to be walking off the track.” 

Nadine had read Oliver Wendell Holmes’s story, 
Elsie Venner\ the subject of rattlesnakes fascinated her, 
but somehow she had never thought of them as realities. 

“ Are there truly snakes here ? ” she asked Bayard 
as they rode ahead. 

“ Quite a number of them; they are one of the 
miner’s curses when he is prospecting—I loathe snakes.” 

“ I had the strangest dream about them when we 
were on the private car one afternoon. I had never 
thought of them before in my life.” 

He looked interested, “ What was it? ” 

8 


114 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ I dreamt that there was a coil of them and one 
came after me, and it sprang at me to bite, but I thrust 
it from me, and it undulated away; and after it had gone 
I felt dreadfully sorry. Now was not that perfectly 
silly to have felt sorry that a snake hadn't bitten one! ” 

“ Yes, it is curious. I suppose your eye had seen 
a rattler from the train window, without consciously 
registering the fact. Our dreams are generally about 
something which has affected the subconscious mind 
during the day, but sometimes, very rarely, they seem 
to have some weird significance. I have one which recurs 
from time to time in my life. It is a simple stupid thing 
about a game of baseball I played when I was a kid, and 
whenever it comes I know that I have to look out. I 
had it a night or two ago; the time before that was when 
a brute called Black Ranger shot me from behind a 
scrub.” 

Nadine looked concerned. 

“ I hope nothing is going to happen in the mine.” 

He laughed carelessly. 

“ Oh, it breaks the spell if you tell of warnings or 
presentiments. I’m sure to be all right.” 

Then he told Nadine interesting stories of the mining 
camp. He was determined not to let himself get out 
of hand. If at the end of the trip he saw plainly that 
the engagement of Eustace Pelham and Nadine was 
really as distasteful to them both as it appeared to be, 
then it might be a different thing. But in any case the 
life in the rough mining camp was not the kind of thing 
he would like to offer any girl—and his would lie here 
for the next year. So the outlook in every way was 
not promising. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 115 

Perhaps that had something 1 to do with the reserve 
which Nadine suddenly felt had fallen upon him. 

She liked his appearance this morning. He wore 
the miner’s breeches and riding-boots and spurs, and 
a silk shirt with no tie and the neck quite open, and 
a slouch felt hat and loose Norfolk jacket. There was 
something picturesque and unconventional about this 
western dress, and it showed his lean active figure. 
Every moment Nadine was becoming more in love with 
him. 

Just before they reached the shaft of the mine where 
the works were going on, Eustace had the great intelli¬ 
gence to come up and join them, and Bayard fell back 
to Sadie so that when they dame in sight of the two 
elderly gentlemen, the couples were assorted just as they 
should have been all the way. 

Sir Edward remarked this with pleasure, and felt 
glad he had given Eustace a timely hint before breakfast. 

He was absolutely horrified, however, when he saw 
his daughter close in this boy’s suit, and Sadie, seeing 
a storm impending, took the bull by the horns. 

“ Now don’t be cross, Sir Edward, at Nadine wear¬ 
ing my things. We never ride any other way out here, 
and they are perfect to go down the mine in.” 

This was incontrovertible. So Sir Edward was 
obliged to swallow his displeasure. Lunch had been sent 
on for them—primitive sandwiches, but they had the 
merriest meal, and then they put on canvas overalls and 
sou’westers, and were ready to go down the mine. 

They went first in a sort of big bucket, four at a 
time, on a gradual slant downwards, and then they got 
out at a kind of stage, and Nadine and Sadie had to 


116 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


step on to a narrow board, with an iron support going 
up through it and a cross-bar at the top, attached to 
the chains. They clung to the centre-piece, and Mr. 
Delaval and a mine manager, who had joined them, 
stood beyond the girls, also holding on the bar and with 
the other arm tight round their waists. 

It is a very strange feeling to be standing on a board 
suspended in mid-air on a loose chain, clinging to an 
iron post, and both girls felt immensely excited. Nadine, 
so close to Bayard in the pitch dark, quivered in his 
arms, and he had to use the whole of his will not to 
bend his head and kiss her. 

But fortunately the commonplace level was kept by 
Sadie’s remarks and giggles. So at last they arrived 
six hundred feet below, and the cage went back for 
the rest of the party. And now Bayard Delaval took 
command. I suppose all mines are alike, whether they 
are for gold or silver, uncanny terrifying places to the 
uninitiated. And when they began to go along the tor¬ 
tuous passages, each carrying a lighted candle, where 
the air was by no means perfect, Nadine could only 
remember the omen of Bayard’s dream. What if some¬ 
thing was going to happen to him. 

She hardly heard all his explanations about high 
grade. She felt she wanted to slip her little hand into 
his, and implore him to take her out and come with 
her to safety. She controlled herself, but her heart beat 
to suffocation, and at last—after hours it seemed—they 
would soon be starting for the earth’s surface again. 


CHAPTER XII 


\I7HEN the big bucket began to reach upper air, 
* * Nadine’s spirits revived, but she was very pale. 

“ I hate your mine! ” she said, when they reached 
the top of the shaft and stood once more in the sunlight. 
“ Oh, how divine to breathe again;” and before Sir 
Edward and Mr. Bronson and the managers and head 
officials could take off their overalls, the four young 
people had moved towards the horses again. 

“ Who’ll race me back to the hotel? ” Nadine cried, 
as Bayard mounted her, and without waiting to see who 
would come with her, she galloped ahead. 

Sadie did not too greatly encourage her nag to follow 
at that break-neck pace, and Eustace, who had mounted 
last, was obliged—not unwillingly—to stay with her. 

Two hundred yards farther on Bayard Delaval 
caught up Nadine. 

All the Pan-spirit in her was in ascendance. She 
was so thankful to have escaped some imaginary danger. 
She made her mount cavort and show some life, and 
Bayard had to spur his beast to keep up with her. He 
called to her, because without heeding she had struck 
the wrong track. When he came alongside of her, he 
put his hand on the bridle. 

“ Did you want to run away from me, Miss Pelham, 
alone into the wilds? You have taken the wrong turn, 
you know.” 


117 


118 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Have I? ” she laughed. “ How delightful! We 
have been doing the right thing in all those horrible 
hours down in your Hades. One could never be really 
lost up here in the light.” 

“You don’t want to turn back, then, and go the 
way the others have gone? ” 

“ Not I. I want to find a track for myself, even if 
it penetrates into the unknown.” 

“ Very well. It is not unknown to me, though; it 
is a few miles out of the way, that is all. It comes near 
to a shack I built last year, which I retire to when I 
want to work out some mining problem entirely alone. 
I don’t believe another soul now knows of its existence; 
the boys who helped me build it went east last fall.” 

“ It must be wonderful to be quite alone out here, 
with only Nature—I envy you.” 

“ It is a pretty rough life, and not fit for your dainty 
feet.” 

“ It depends what one wants life to mean to one.” 
She was more serious now. 

“Have you any idea what that would be?” He 
rode quite close to her and tried to look into her eyes, 
which were lowered. 

“ Vaguely. I would want it to mean that I mattered 
the whole world to some one—not that I was just an 
ornament or a duty. I would like to help the person 
I was fond of to succeed in his career; I would like to 
give the ‘ embroidered sleeve,’ as the Lady of Frussasco 
gave—Bayard—in my story-book.” 

She had paused a little in the pronouncing of the 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


119 


word Bayard, and it thrilled him. He whistled the 
tune of Montrose’s Love Song softly, and then sang 
the words of the last verse, in his musical bass voice; 

“ But if no faithless action stain 
Thy love and constant word. 

I’ll make thee famous by my pen 
And glorious by my sword. 

I’ll serve thee in such noble ways 
As ne’er was known before, 

I’ll deck and crown thy head with bays, 

And love thee more and more,” 

“ That is what giving your ‘ ’broidered sleeve ’ would 
mean to a man, I should think,” he said. 

“ That is what would make life perfect—and then 
the place would not matter; ” and she sighed. He would 
have spoken some eager word, but she went on quickly: 

“ When did you learn that song? It is so old, and 
so very Scotch.” 

“ I had a Scotch aunt who used to sing it when I 
was a boy, and it appealed to me.” 

“You would always want to rule? ” 

He began to sing again: 

“ My dear and only love, I pray 
That little world of thee 
Be governed by no other sway 
But purest monarchy. 

For if confusion have a part, 

Which virtuous souls abhor, 

I’ll call a synod in my heart 
And never love thee more.” 

“ What an arrogant creature! So you would not 
allow the poor lady whom you loved ever to have any 
other amusement? ” 


120 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


The song seemed to express all his views, for he 
sang again: 

“And in the empire of thy heart, 

Where I should solely be, 

If others do pretend a part 
Or dare to share with me: 

Or committees if thou erect, 

Or go on such a score, 

I’ll smiling mock at thy neglect, 

And never love thee more.” 

They both laughed softly. 

“ You would not be angry then—just indifferent? ” 

“Yes; nothing is worth holding in a woman if 
she wants to go away from you; and if she was so 
vain and fickle as to desire others for her vanity, she 
would not be worth loving.” 

“ It should be the same for both.” 

“Of course; love is not love when either acts towards 
the other just from duty, or has room in the heart for 
any other interest.” 

Nadine was thrilling all over. This is the kind of 
love she had always dreamed of. Then she asked him 
about his career, because she felt they were getting on 
too dangerous ground. The horses were going at walk¬ 
ing pace now. 

“ I would like to be so rich that I could be quite 
free to give my whole brain to something higher than 
making money. Then I would like to think out, and 
then carry out, some scheme which would benefit and 
help numbers of people that I now see staggering under 
burdens without the sense to get them off their backs 


THE GREAT MOMENT 121 

themselves, and with no one to show them how to 
do so.” 

Nadine was listening, profoundly interested. 

“ The worst of it is out here the chase of the Al¬ 
mighty Dollar is such a call, it seems to warp the souls 
of fellows after a while, and they lose their ideals. I’d 
like to help in the Government. My old dad always 
says that our politics are too corrupt for decent people 
to bother with them, but that’s the very reason I’d 
like to plunge in, to try and make them better.” 

His face was so strong and keen, and his clear eyes 
seemed to be looking ahead always at something fine. 
The spiritual Pelham part of Nadine became exalted. 
She took pride in him, as her father would have done, 
had Bayard been his son. 

Oh, how wonderful it would be to help such an one 
to do great things, instead of having to follow a back¬ 
boneless, uninterested Eustace! 

This last thought came with such a stab that she 
suddenly spurred her horse, and it bounded ahead, and 
the quick movement roused her joyous spirit again. 
She laughed back at Bayard! She knew now that she 
would probably be scolded for riding on ahead with him, 
even if they got back to the hotel at the same time as 
the others. 

Her sudden spring forward had left him time to 
think, and he knew he had better begin to put more 
control upon his emotions, because he was utterly fas¬ 
cinated. It was very difficult, though, to keep up a 
dignified reserve with a mischievous Nature sprite, 
which is what Nadine appeared, looking back at him. 


122 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


They heard the motors come along the main track 
and pass on, and Nadine laughed delightedly. 

“ Oh, how divine that we are not being chased by 
them. They will go on their stupid, good old respectable 
way—back to Blenkie! ” and she made her horse bound 
again forward. Bayard’s sense of exaltation and free¬ 
dom rose too; it was all a joy, no matter what his good 
resolutions might be. 

He came up beside her and put his hand on her 
rein, bringing the horses level. 

“ Doesn’t it show how silly dreams are, and pre¬ 
sentiments and things,” Nadine said presently, letting 
the bridle hang loose upon her horse’s neck, and slacken¬ 
ing into a walk. “ Here we shall be at the hotel in 
another quarter of an hour, I suppose, and nothing has 
happened to us; it is quite dull.” 

“ It will take rather longer than that; ” and Bayard 
smiled quietly. “We are a good many miles away still. 
Look, I want to take you up to that canyon, and 
show you one of the weirdest views you have ever seen.” 

The country was indescribably wild. The huge 
boulders and rocky crags jutting out of sandy, stony 
soil; strange desert wildflowers of apricot and helio¬ 
trope seemed to spring from barren earth amidst the 
sage brush. Not a bird was in the air; the late after¬ 
noon sun was growing lower and the shadows had be¬ 
come tinged with turquoise and violet. 

It seemed as though they were alone together in 
some dominion of their own. When they came to a 
more open space, Bayard said: 

“ Let us dismount now for a few minutes; the horses 


THE GREAT MOMENT 123 

cannot climb where I want to take you, and they are 
such quiet old nags they’ll stand.’’ 

Nadine pulled her rein, pleased to do anything which 
kept them away from the others a little longer. She 
was experiencing such joy, the Scotch would have said 
she was “ fey.” 

Some kind of wonderful moment seemed to be near. 
She analysed nothing, but Nature was whispering to 
her that soon she must be in his arms, and let fathers, 
and fiancees and engagement rings rip. But because 
her desire seemed so near, that contrariness in woman 
came uppermost, and she sprang lightly to the ground 
without waiting for him to help her; and while he 
tied the horses’ bridles together, she climbed up a great 
stone. He joined her, and soon they reached the canyon, 
and the most astonishing picture met their view. They 
were on the very edge of a vast abyss unsuspected until 
the climb was made. 

Forbidding crags clustered all around, and away 
across the colossal chasm the rocks looked the colour 
of purple hyacinths in the lowering light. The sky was 
opal above them, turning to rose and gold in the west. 

It was intensely hot and still. 

The impossible seemed to have happened. 

“ The time, and the place, and the loved one—all 
together! ” 

Bayard came close to Nadine, leaning against the 
rock behind them. Every nerve in them both quivered 
with the force of awakening love. The girl’s heart beat 
in her throat. 

“ Here we are,” he whispered, “ like eagles in an 
aerie, and this desert is our Garden of Eden, for now 


124 THE GREAT MOMENT 

there are no other people but just our own two selves in 
all this world.” 

She turned her face towards him, and he saw the 
passion in her eyes. 

She was his mate. Surely she loved him, and he 
who knew all about passion and the delirium of it could 
teach her to know every joy. He loved her. Who 
should dare to come between them? No parent, no lag- 
gard-in-Love! They belonged to one another. Two 
fierce primitive natures who would understand the same 
things. 

His hesitation was gone now. Love was the arbiter; 
there was no more any question of a fair game. If 
Eustace meant nothing to her, why should she be tied 
to him? That was an unfair game. 

He put out his strong hand and touched her little 
gloved one, holding her hunting-crop. 

“ Nadine ... I love you,” he cried, and would 
have taken her in his arms. 

A hundred yards down in the open space the two 
quiet horses waited patiently. 

But what was that stealthy, sinuous, glistening thing 
which suddenly began gliding towards them from the 
sage brush ? 

Their eyes started from their heads in terror, and 
with wild snorts they broke away and galloped towards 
the path. 

Nadine felt that everything in her was melting and 
that her whole being was merged in Bayard; but before 
she could answer him or his lips meet hers in a fond 
kiss, they both heard the horses move, and, startled, 
they stood upright. Bayard knew that the situation 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


125 


brooked no delay; he released Nadine and bounded down 
the crags in the vain attempt to head the animals at the 
turn, and as he crossed the sage brush, unseen by either 
of them, the great snake struck at him; but he had 
passed beyond its range. 

The seriousness of what was happening did not 
present itself to Nadine; she was annoyed that any¬ 
thing should have interrupted the divinest moment of 
her life, but this was only another phase of the perfect 
day’s adventure, and she prepared to descend and help 
in the chase. The snake was coiled again, its cunning 
head raised and alert. 

Nadine had taken off one of her gloves in her agita¬ 
tion, and now she paused a moment. Bayard was call¬ 
ing to her: 

“ They have gone past the turn; we will never catch 
them now. It looks like a long hike for us; ” and he 
started to come back to her. 

She laughed gaily and waved her glove at him, never 
seeing that Death was very near, ready to strike. 

The glove slipped out of her hand, and fell sharply 
against the great coiled reptile at her feet. 

With eyes still fixed upon Bayard, she bent to pick 
it up, when, with a hideous rattle, the serpent raised 
itself and buried its fangs in her left shoulder, and the 
poison entered her blood. 

She started back with an agonized shriek, and the 
snake, having spent its venom, undulated away among 
the grey rocks before Bayard could reach the spot. 

Frightful horror convulsed him when he realized 
what had occurred, and he covered the ground between 
them with great strides; Nadine was in an agony of 


126 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


terror and pain. She vaguely knew that soon she might 
have to die—and life was very sweet. But Bayard 
Delaval never lost his head. He put his arms round 
her and tore her coat off, then the sleeve from her blouse 
—and there were the two ominous purple marks. The 
place had not yet had time to swell. Not a moment was 
to be lost. 

While he held the terrified girl firmly with one arm 
to prevent her struggling, he found his knife with the 
other hand, and opened it with his teeth. 

Her agonized eyes watched him. When she saw 
what he meant to do, she screamed, and unconsciously 
struggled frantically to get free. 

She was down to primitive instincts now, all civilized 
training had fallen from her in her fear. She would 
have bitten him if she could. He held her arms still 
as in a vice, and with what tenderness the desperate 
situation permitted of, he cut into her shrinking olive- 
ivory flesh; and when the blood spurted he sucked the 
ugly wound to draw the poison out But by then, after 
one sobbing sigh of anguish, Nadine had fainted and 
fallen limp in his encircling arms. Her hat fell from 
her head and her short curls, released from most of their 
few pins, tumbled in a thick mass over his coat sleeve. 

With a cry of grief and misery, Bayard held her 
passionately to his heart. 


CHAPTER XIII 


TI7HEN seven o’clock came, and Sadie Bronson and 
* * Eustace rode up to the hotel door at Gold Rock, 
without the other two young people, Sir Edward, who 
had arrived half an hour before, and was smoking on 
the veranda with Mr. Bronson and some of the mine 
officials, rose and came towards them. He was annoyed. 
This was not a suitable pairing of the quartette, and 
Eustace had no right to let it have come about. 

Sadie, as usual, smoothed the situation. “ We were 
racing back, and Nadine was ahead, and must have 
taken the wrong turn, Sir Edward, because Mr. Delaval 
tore after her—I suppose, to point it out to her—and 
we missed them. We thought we should have found 
them here before us.” 

Sir Edward could not express his displeasure in 
words but Eustace felt that he was very angry, and 
like all weak natures, knowing himself to be in the 
wrong, he blamed others. 

“ Nadine would not keep alongside of any of us,” 
he said shortly. “ To go as fast as she could was all that 
concerned her.” 

And having assisted Sadie to dismount, he entered 
the hotel, and went up to his room to change. 

Sadie was radiant. She had “ brought Eustace 
along,” as she expressed it to herself, and had made 
him feel that she was the only companion who would 
not bore him. The flirtation was no longer tentative, 
but a clear fact. She stayed on the veranda, saying 

127 


128 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


delightful things to the irate parent of Nadine, until 
she had soothed him, rocking herself to and fro in 
one of the several rocking-chairs. 

“ They’ll be here in a minute, of course; nothing 
could happen to them, and Mr. Delaval knows the way.” 

Miss Blenkensop came out of the door, knitting in 
hand. She loathed rocking-chairs—-most undignified 
seats, she considered them. 

And when Miss Bronson offered her one, she bit 
her head off. The worthy Blenkie was so unhinged 
by Nadine’s non-appearance; she had some uncomfort¬ 
able feeling that it was not accidental. She knew the 
signs of the times and that Sir Edward was very 
annoyed. 

Half an hour passed—Sadie keeping the conversa¬ 
tion even—and then she went into the hotel. 

“ I suppose we’ll have supper about eight-thirty,” 
she said, kissing her hand to her father. Eustace had 
not reappeared. 

Quarter to nine came before she descended again, 
and the party were assembled waiting on the veranda 
—very hungry and impatient. The head mining officials 
and the sheriff were of the party. 

The culprits had not put in an appearance. Sir 
Edward was now very anxious. He knew Nadine’s 
awe of him would never have allowed her to stay behind 
deliberately like this; something must have happened 
to them. The different people all said the things that 
people do say under such circumstances, and one mine 
manager vouchsafed the explanation that: 

“ Once you got off the track you’d need a compass 
to land you anywhere.” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


129 


Blenkie was so inwardly agitated that her knitting 
needles absolutely flew in and out as she made her 
body sit still and bolt upright. 

“ Ought not we to go and look for them? ” Eustace 
suggested half-heartedly. He was convinced that no 
matter what had occurred, Bayard Delaval was quite 
capable of taking care of a woman, and he had a shrewd 
suspicion that Nadine would enjoy an adventure with 
him! 

As they all stood there peering into the darkness 
which comes so suddenly in those western climes, the 
sound of horses trotting could be heard in the distance, 
and the tension upon Sir Edward’s face relaxed a little. 

Yes, two horses were approaching the open space 
where the hotel stood on the other side of which was 
the stable shed; but as the tired animals passed the 
veranda, the lights from the windows showed that they 
were riderless. 

The men made a rush across the dusty ground just 
as the man who attended to them caught their dragging 
and broken bridles. 

No, there were no marks of an accident; the horses 
had not fallen. 

Everything pointed to the rider’s having dismounted, 
and that then the horses had broken away. 

Blank looks came on to faces, and then one jolly 
engineer laughed. 

“ Guess they’ve stopped off to look at the sunset,” 
he said, “ and it’ll be a long hike back.” 

Anger now had quenched anxiety in Sir Edward, 
and even Eustace felt aggrieved. His fiancee had no 
9 


130 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


business to take interest in sunsets; it was most unlady¬ 
like to make scandals in this way. 

“If you think they are walking, we will go to meet 
them,” Sir Edward announced in a frigid voice. 

And as quickly as possible two motors were brought 
round, and when they had their coats, he and Eustace 
got into one of them with a driver who knew the way, 
while two mine officials started in the second one towards 
the only other possible path which came in from the 
direction of the mine. 

Sir Edward’s face was set in a mask of stone. He 
was too reserved a person to vent his fury upon Eustace, 
whom he felt was partly to blame, because if he had 
shown proper attention to his fiancee she would not 
have had the opportunity to dismount with the attractive 
young mining engineer! 

So both men remained in grim silence, feeling that 
some climax must occur. 

Unless Nadine had the most perfectly proper ex¬ 
planation to offer, Eustace felt his dignity would not 
permit him to go on with the affair. He did not analyse 
his motives, or he would have discovered that inclina¬ 
tion would prompt him to catch at any straw to be free. 

Sir Edward was saying to himself that from now 
onward until her marriage Nadine should not leave his 
own or Miss Blenkensop’s side, and that the marriage 
should take place the moment they returned to England, 
which would be within a month. They drove back all 
the weary miles to the mine. 

Not a trace of the pair could they find. The sleepy 
watchmen had seen nothing, and heard nothing. So 


THE GREAT MOMENT 131 

at about midnight they turned back again, Sir Edward 
a prey to alternate anger and fear. 

When they got to the hotel once more the other 
motor had also returned after a fruitless search. 

Almost wild with anxiety now, Sir Edward insisted 
upon starting out again. There must be some branch 
paths; they would follow every one. 

Eustace’s ill temper increased with every mile. He 
felt that he hated Nadine. 

They reached the mine for the second time just 
after three o’clock, and here a watchman, more awake 
than his mates, suggested that about a mile down the 
track there was a turn-off, concealed by a great rock, 
which they would not be likely to notice in the dark, 
but which led to a bridle-path which eventually got back 
to the camp. 

So the two weary men entered the motor once 
more, and proceeded very slowly, examining every yard 
of the way; they were too anxious to remember how 
hungry they were! 

At last, after diligent search, they came to what 
appeared to be the longed-for turn, and they went along 
it on an impossible road. 

After about half an hour’s creeping over stones and 
in ruts, just when the eastern sky had begun to change, 
Sir Edward, peering from one side, called a halt. 

There was a light not very far away up the mountain 
side. Could they be there? But in any case perhaps 
some information might be obtained about them. Both 
men got out quickly, and told the driver to wait for 
them there. 


132 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


But what was that sound which suddenly met their 
ears, floating across to them in the still air? Surely 
it was weird Russian music? Sir Edward held his 
breath, for now he could distinguish the tune. Some 
one, or a gramophone, was playing “ The Red 
Sarafane.” 

“ My God! Eustace, do you hear that? ” he said in a 
broken voice —“ Come on.” 


CHAPTER XIV 


TXTAS she to die, this beloved creature, just when 
it seemed that their love would burst all bonds 
and declare itself? 

No!—not if human resource and will could save 

her. 

Bayard looked about wildly for a second, but he 
knew that no help would come from outside. It was a 
million to one that anyone would ever pass that way 
by chance. 

There to the north, farther up the mountain, on the 
other side of the path, his little shack could just be 
seen,—a tiny shanty of rough boards. 

He lifted his unconscious burden high, she seemed 
as light as a baby to the big, strong man, and soon he 
was striding up the hill with her, and at last he reached 
the shanty and pushed open the door. 

It was just a boarded room, with an old wooden 
bed in one corner covered with some dark-looking 
blankets. Up on the shelves the rough beams made, there 
were specimens of quartz in bags, waiting to be tested, 
and a few implements and a pair of scales were on the 
big wooden writing-table, with a lamp upon it; there 
was another table at the other side, a couple of the most 
primitive chairs stood about, a box for a washing-stand, 
a small cupboard, and a brand-new Victrola, with a pile 
of records, standing on another box completed the 
furniture. 

Bayard put his precious bundle tenderly down on the 

133 


134 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


bed, then he rapidly went to the cupboard and got out 
a glass and a bottle of whisky—real Scotch, in spite of 
prohibition! The bottle was about three-parts full. 
He filled the tumbler to the brim, and took it over to 
the bed. 

Nadine lay like a log. He raised her in his arms 
gently and forced the glass between her lips. It almost 
seemed that his touch revived her, for her eyes opened 
for a moment, and he poured some of the spirit down 
her throat. 

The choking completely awoke her. 

“ You must drink this,” he said sternly. The 
danger to her permitted of no delay for persuasion. 
The gipsy half of Nadine was the only part of her 
spirit which seemed conscious, and it immediately recog¬ 
nized a master, and swallowed the whisky in gulps. If 
she hesitated for a moment, Bayard spoke again with a 
tone of firm authority. He did not stop until she had 
taken the whole big tumblerfull. Then he let her lie back 
on the pillow, and he covered her up with the coarse 
brown blankets. If he had been in time he believed 
she would now be saved; the great quantity of whisky 
would counteract the poison, as every miner knew. But 
had he been in time ? 

Nadine seemed to fall into a semi-conscious torpor; 
but when he felt her pulse, her heart was beating a little 
more strongly. So he could leave her for a moment 
to prepare to wash the wound. 

He poured more whisky into some water, and then 
very tenderly bathed the place, putting on a bandage of a 
torn-up handkerchief as well as he could. She let him 


THE GREAT MOMENT 135 

do as he liked, with her eyes half closed and breathing 
heavily. 

Then when the-bandage was finished, he settled 
her once more on the bed. And now she seemed to 
fall into a drugged sleep. 

By this time the sun had set, and the short twilight 
of rosy crimson pervaded the room. 

Bayard sat down and watched. Nadine began to 
toss restlessly in about half an hour, and darkness fell 
upon the place. 

He got up and lit the lamp, and wound up the little 
cheap clock on the table by his watch; it was eight 
o’clock. Sir Edward and the rest would have begun 
to wonder what could have become of them by now. 

He went back to the bed; the strain he had suffered 
was telling a little, he felt tired now that his anxiety 
was lessened. A sip of whisky would have been a 
very nice thing; but he must not waste a drop of it. 
She would have to have some more, if this amount did 
not seem to be producing a lasting effect. He was 
hungry too. But he had often been in situations of 
real hardship, and it never even entered his head that 
he had now any wants unfulfilled. His whole mind was 
fixed upon the sleeping girl. 

One crisp black curl lay over on the pillow; he 
touched it reverently with his fingers. Even in her heavy 
sleep she seemed conscious of his nearness, for a half¬ 
smile stole over her lips for an instant. He had a 
strong desire to lift her into his arms, and let her sleep 
on his breast, or rock and soothe her like a baby; but 
some chivalrous instinct made him feel that he must 


136 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


not take the least advantage of the situation to gratify 
any of his own desires. 

So hour after hour she slept on, moaning sometimes, 
and from time to time he wetted the bandage on her 
shoulder. Then he would stretch himself and go to the 
door to look out. 

He did not draw the cheap checked cotton curtains 
over the two windows—better that the light should 
be seen, if by some fortunate chance help should come. 

Not a sound could be heard, except an occasional 
faint rustle, as some reptile or lizard passed among the 
brush. The stars were very bright, and a crescent wan¬ 
ing moon had just arisen in the east. 

The little clock struck half-past two. Nadine had 
been sleeping more peacefully in the last quarter of an 
hour, and Bayard sat down in the chair by the writing- 
table and rested his head in his hands. He had almost 
slipped into the unconsciousness of sleep for a second, 
when he was aroused by a movement on the bed. Was 
Nadine awakening? He went to her, but she had sunk 
back again. 

All the top of her sleeve was wrenched away, her 
blouse was very disordered, but there were hardly any 
blood-marks. 

Her round young throat gleaned ivory against the 
dark holland pillow. The fine lace and pale pink crepe- 
de-chine of her under-bodice just showed where the 
blouse was torn open, and all the beautiful neck was bare. 

A bright flush was in her cheeks now. Even in this 
unnatural sleep, she was utterly attractive to the young 
mining engineer. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 137 

He sat down beside her, and now began clearly to 
think. 

What would this sinister adventure mean in the 
working of Fate ? 

Would it draw them nearer, or would it part them ? 
How he loved her! He realized the magnitude of his 
passion from the agony which the thought that she 
might die had brought him. 

“ My darling—my little girl,” he murmured over 
and over again. 

What did she really feel for him beyond the physical 
attraction which he knew united them both ? 

She knew nothing of his status in life. For her he 
was probably just some one whom she was attracted 
by, but of whose worldly position she had taken no 
count, not thinking of him as a possible husband. He 
understood that her bringing up, and the European 
point of view, would certainly make her consider a 
mining engineer not of the same rank as herself, so 
that it would be love alone which would make her 
give herself to him. This was a glorious thought. 

He would never let her know that he had fortune 
and breeding behind him, until she was really his own— 
if he could help it. 

Sir Edward would make an awful fuss, and certainly 
refuse his consent. They would have to have a run¬ 
away marriage. Then he would take her down to his 
old Virginia home, and give her a surprise—some¬ 
thing of its old-world atmosphere and state would 
remind her of England. And how his father and his 
widowed aunt, who lived with them, would rejoice! 
And all the dear old darkie servants would adore her. 


138 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


He could see “ Aunt Dinah,” his aunt’s old maid, and 
“ Uncle Ephraim,” the white-haired butler, grinning 
from ear to ear. 

The whole family had longed for him to marry 
since he was twenty-five. 

Thus his thoughts ran on, each one thrilling him. 
Then the clock struck three, and as though the sound 
had awakened her, Nadine started into a sitting position. 

It would be safest to give her more whisky, Bayard 
felt. 

So he poured more into the tumbler, and now, with 
what he had used to bathe her shoulder, the bottle was 
empty. 

She was gazing about her in a dazed way, and shrink¬ 
ing every other moment with the pain. He came over to 
her with the half-filled glass. 

“ You must drink some more,” he said. 

She took it obediently and swallowed about a third, 
and then pushed it from her. 

“ Now you must lie down again,” he commanded, 
and she sank back and closed her eyes. 

He covered her up, fearing to speak, in case of 
rousing her completely; so he took the chair by the 
writing-table again, after he had replaced the glass 
beside the bottle on the table by the door. 

He felt that he could not look at her, the tempta¬ 
tion to take her in his arms was so great. 

Half an hour passed. 

Then suddenly Nadine sat up. 

He went to her at once and made his voice stern. 

“You must lie down.” She gave a little whimper, 


THE GREAT MOMENT 139 

as a child would in distress, and then she snuggled into 
the blankets. 

He sat on the bed beside her and covered her up 
once more. She shut her eyes, and he remained sitting 
there for a moment—to see what she would do. 

Then her little hand stole up and caressed his face 
leaning above her. 

Her touch made him quiver. 

He put the hand back again under the clothes. 

“ You must go to sleep,” he said. “ Do you hear, 
* Miss Pelham’? ” 

Now her face filled with mischief; she seemed to 
have forgotten the pain in her shoulder. She was lying 
there pouting and looking up at him out of half-shut, 
alluring blue eyes. 

“ Bayard,” she lisped. “ * Miss Pelham’, indeed!—I 
am Nadine—and you are my lover.” 

The first tumbler of whisky had killed the poison 
and saved her life. Could this last small quantity have 
intoxicated her a little? Bayard wondered. It was 
not wont to act that way after severe snake-bites, 
but- 

And then suddenly he realized that at all events 
all inhibitions were numbed in her brain, and the real 
Nadine was gazing at him with soft voluptuous eyes. 

In vino veritas. 

Every vestige of the civilized English girl seemed 
to fall from her as she looked up at him. She was 
the wild Russian gipsy, with every art to entice a man 
to heaven or hell at her finger-tips. 

“ I must sit up,” she said. “ Bayard, why won’t 



140 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


you let me?” She struggled into a sitting position. 
“ I want to stretch.” 

Short of holding her in bed by force, he could not 
now prevent her from rising, and he was afraid of the 
temptation if he should touch her. 

She put her feet to the ground. 

“ You see, I am all right;” and she held out her 
arms to him. “ I thought you loved me. Don’t you ? ” 

He came over to her. 

“ My God! You know I do. But you have been 
awfully ill; that is why you must rest.” 

“ I won’t rest—without you.” 

She caught hold of his shirt-sleeve and rubbed her 
cheek up and down it. He had taken off his coat to 
make an extra cover for her feet, when he had first 
laid her down. 

She was utterly provoking—no caressing tricks that 
he could imagine seemed to be unknown to her—and 
her eyes were temptation itself, magnetizing him with 
their voluptuous passion. 

“ You must lift me, Bayard. I want to be in your 
arms.” 

He controlled his rising emotion, and picked her 
up and laid her on the bed again. 

There were apparently no pins in her hair at all 
now—the few that had remained had fallen into the 
bed—it fell just to her neck in thick black curls. 

The bright pale scarlet flush was in her cheeks, her 
lips were very red and pursed up as though asking for 
kisses. 

Bayard tried to be matter-of-fact. 

He went and got the basin of whisky and water 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


141 


again, to moisten the bandage once more. She kept 
laughing at him, and when he tried to put it on, she 
turned and kissed his fingers, and bit one of them gently 
like a little animal at play. 

Bayard's pulses were bounding. How was he going 
to resist this adorable thing? 

“ Bayard—my knight, come to set me free," she 
whispered, as though repeating something learned. “ I 
could see you out of the window, and I knew at once 
you were my lover and my lord. Why did not you stay 
that day instead of Eustace ? But you will never leave 
me now—never again, will you? Promise me." 

“Of course not," he said hoarsely, at his wit’s end, 
because her little hands again were caressing his face. 

“You are my lover, Bayard. Why are you so 
cold? ” 

“ I’m not cold. Only you don’t know how ill you 
have been. The snake bit your shoulder." 

“ Oh, what do I care for snakes! I am here alone 
with you, and I am going to stay with you always away 
from the silly old world. Bayard, tell me you love 
me." Woman’s eternal question! 

All the deep-down, primitive instincts, suppressed all 
her life, were stirring in Nadine. Fear had left her; 
the training of years had fallen from her. She was 
conscious of nothing but that she was with the man 
she loved. Only that which was connected with him 
stayed in her mind, all else was forgotten; and as the 
spirit mounted more and more into her head, so she 
revealed herself to him. 

Bayard was going through torture. How was he to 
keep from responding to her ? 


142 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


He had studied the working of the subconscious 
mind, and he believed that Nadine was now letting 
him see her real feelings, whether she were intoxicated 
or no. 

Her voice was not the least thick, nor were there any 
of the usual signs of having taken too much whisky. 
Only she was utterly fascinating. 

“ Nadine,” he said gravely, unclasping her two tiny 
hands which clung to his neck, “ won’t you rest just 
while I look out and see if they are coming to find us? ” 

But this roused fierce resentment. 

“ They shall not come! I am yours, and will stay 
with you—for ever. 

Ah! If this could only be so. If he could only 
take her away with him for his very own, now without 
more ado! Her words awakened passionate thoughts. 
He too was having primitive instincts aroused! 

But she was alone with him, entirely at his mercy, 
and perhaps she was not quite mistress of herself. He 
must not take the least advantage of her. 

“ Nadine—sweetheart—” he whispered in a choked 
voice. “ To-morrow we will arrange everything, but 
to-night you must lie still and rest. Don’t you know 
that a snake’s bite is a dangerous thing, and I must 
take care of you.” 

She put her hand up vaguely to her shoulder. 

“ It’s hot,” she said “ but it does not hurt. Bayard, 
why don’t you take me in your arms and hold me where 
I want to be—my lover-? ” 

The young man was almost beside himself, she 
looked indescribably alluring, her blue eyes, bright as 
stars, gleaming at him with a world of passion in them, 



THE GREAT MOMENT 


143 


from between her forest of black lashes. He crushed 
his emotion, and soothed and coaxed her, and got her 
to lie down at last. 

Then he went out of the shack into the night. It 
had begun to lighten in the east; it was nearly four 
o’clock. His heart was beating, and his head was 
swimming. Not a sound could be heard. 

No, they would have to stay there until the morning, 
and this agonizing temptation would go on. How was 
he going to be able to be the Knight Bayard through 
the hours ? 

While he leaned against the corner of the wall, peer¬ 
ing towards the only direction from whence any one 
could approach them, he might have heard in the dis¬ 
tance a motor stop, but his ears were startled by the 
Victrola within. 

Nadine must have set it in motion. It was playing 
a new record he had brought back from Europe with 
him—a Russian arrangement of the old national air, 
“ The Red Sarafane.” He turned back quickly, and 
as he entered the door he stood still in admiration. 

For it seemed a Russian gipsy was dancing there! 
Round and round the little figure flew, with all the 
stamping, fluttering, wildly voluptuous movements 
which only the gipsies know. 

Bayard had seen the Russian ballet and various 
troupes of dancers at revues, so he recognized the 
origin of the thing. 

He realized that it must be heredity showing. The 
Russian half of Nadine’s nature was coming into its 
own. He grew entirely under the spell of her strange 


144 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


blue eyes looking at him with sensuous passion. They 
were leading him—where ? 

She came closer and closer each time she passed, 
until at last she flung herself into his arms. Bayard 
was a strong man, and chivalrous, but he was passion¬ 
ately in love. 

He put the sternest restraint upon himself once 
more, and carried her to the bed. She was exhausted 
by this time and should certainly rest. 

She seemed to be quite docile, content that his arms 
held her; but when he laid her down, with one of her 
sudden movements she put both arms around his neck, 
and, raising herself, pressed her soft young lips to his. 

Then madness seized him, and for one brief moment 
he lost control of himself, and let the wild passion he 
was feeling return her kiss. 

Oh, the delirious joy of it! Time and place seemed 
to be swept away, drowned in the exquisite bliss of 
their first embrace! 

The scratching of the Victrola needle coincided with 
the opening of the cabin door, and Sir Edward, white 
as death, strode towards them, followed by Eustace. 

Truly Fate seemed to be closing in upon them with 
a heavy hand. 


CHAPTER XV 


X1THEN the two men, father and fiance, had 
* ^ reached the cabin, although the climb was not 
more than two hundred yards or so from the path, they 
were both out of breath, and Sir Edward, motioning 
Eustace aside, went forward alone to look in at the 
window, and the sight which met his view was cer¬ 
tainly calculated to arouse the worst suspicions! 

From there he saw his daughter reclining on the 
bed, clasped in the arms of the young mining engineer, 
her hair dishevelled, and her blouse torn, while their 
lips were meeting in a passionate kiss. 

“ My God! The disgrace has come at last/’ the 
poor father whispered brokenly, and, followed by 
Eustace, he pushed open the door and entered the room. 

In all the future years of his life, no moment can 
ever be quite so awful to Bayard Delaval as was this 
one when, while his lips still met the passionate young 
lips of Nadine, he became aware of her father’s entrance. 
Here he was discovered in a completely false position, 
and which he felt no words could explain away. He 
cursed his weakness. How far short he had fallen 
from the ideal Knight Bayard! Why, why had he 
given way—even for that one brief instant! He rose 
and drew himself to his full height and faced the two 
men squarely. Nadine, defiant and only angry at this 
interruption to her joy, still clung to him, having 
bounded from the bed when Bayard left her, on her 
father’s entrance. 

10 


145 


146 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Eustace Pelham remained behind Sir Edward, and 
there at the table by the door took up the empty whisky 
bottle with a cynical, disgusted smile; then his eyes 
travelled to the pillow of the bed significantly, on which 
were lying two hairpins. But Sir Edward was speaking. 

“ I could kill you both,” he said in a voice almost 
inaudible from pain and shame. 

“ You are doing your daughter and me an injustice, 
sir,” Bayard Delaval said. “ She has been bitten by 
a rattlesnake, and-” 

Sir Edward interrupted him, shaking his stick. 

“ Far better then that it had killed her than that the 
Pelham name should suffer this everlasting disgrace.” 

Bayard winced as at a blow, but Nadine broke in: 

“ How dare you speak so to my lover, papa! I love 
him, I want to stay in his arms and never leave him 
again. He is my Knight Bayard, come to set me free. 
Go away, you wicked man. I hate you. Leave us 
alone! ” 

Here Eustace broke in, in a tone of withering 
contempt: 

“ There seems to be only one thing that the ‘ Knight 
Bayard ’ can do then, and that is to marry the lady 
with the least possible delay.” 

“ I am ready and proud to do so immediately, sir, 
and give you and her father what satisfaction you may 
desire afterwards.” Bayard’s eyes flashed grey fire 
while he circled Nadine with his arm. 

“ Do you hear, papa? We are going to be married 
now.” 

“ Very well; it is the best thing which can happen 
to you. You shall come straight back to the Justice of 



THE GREAT MOMENT 


147 


the Peace this minute, and he will marry you at dawn; 
and as for satisfaction, all that I ask of you, sir, is that 
you take my daughter, and that I never see either of 
you again.” 

Bayard now spoke quietly: 

“ Sir Edward, you are making a frightful mistake, 
I warn you. Will you not let me explain? Your 
daughter has done no wrong, but I am only too happy 
to marry her, if she will have me for her husband. 
Will you, Nadine? ” 

Nadine clung to his arm. 

“ Of course I will. Now-” 

Sir Edward came close to her, and took her left hand, 
from which he drew the engagement ring and handed 
it back to Eustace. 

“ You must listen to me,” Bayard said sternly. 

“ Your daughter is ill and in pain-” and then his 

voice faltered a moment. How was he to explain away 
the scene that the two men must have witnessed? He 
could not tell them of the long hours of temptation. 
Nor that at last she had put her lips to his. How would 
they believe that she was suffering, when they had 
heard the Victrola, and for all he could tell had seen 
her dancing, like a mad thing, and then there were her 
own words, spoken wildly, that he was her lover. She 
wanted to “ stay in his arms. ” What did that imply? 
He would be willing to fight any man to the death who 
said one idle word about her, but the circumstantial 
evidence at this particular moment looked too strong 
against them both. He was obliged to see the point 
of the other side, and raging fury at his own momentary 
weakness possessed him. If he had not given way to 




148 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


temptation, even though it was only for those few 
seconds, this hideous misunderstanding could not have 
occurred. 

If he insisted upon their seeing the truth first, might 
it not look as though he hesitated about marrying 
Nadine ? But he must make one more try. 

“ I tell you, you are altogether mistaken in the 
whole thing, Sir Edward,” he said again. “ Can you 
not see for yourself the wound in Miss Pelham’s shoul¬ 
der? The rattlesnake bit her, and it is only a miracle 
that she is not dead. Her blouse is torn because I cut 
the place with my knife. That and the whisky have 
saved her life.” 

At this Eustace made a slight exclamation as though 
light might be dawning in his mind; he glanced again 
at the empty bottle, but Sir Edward drew back with 
freezing hauteur. 

“ I do not require any explanations, sir. I am not 
questioning as to whether the snake bit her, or did 
not bite her, whether you tore her blouse or cut her 
shoulder, or gave her whisky, or saved her life. I 
request you to marry my daughter on the evidence of 
my own eyes, which saw her lying in your arms in a 
passionate embrace. She a girl, and a gentlewoman, 
and engaged to another man.” 

During this speech Nadine had been rubbing her 
cheek up and down Bayard’s shirt-sleeve again, and 
evincing adoring little tricks of fondness for him; her 
naughty, flushed, lovely little face full of passionate 
love. 

“ Come,” said her father, with icy sternness, to hide 
the agony he was suffering, for he could see Nada 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


149 


standing there, behaving to him in the very same way. 
“ You can keep your caresses for when you are alone 
with your husband. The Justice of the Peace will, no 
doubt, be about when we get back, and you will not 
have to wait long! ” 

“So be it,” Bayard said hoarsely; “but one day 
you will right this shameful wrong that you are com¬ 
mitting against your own child. For my part I am 
proud and happy, for I love her, and will protect her 
with my life.” 

He took his coat off the bed and wrapped it round 
Nadine; her own was somewhere out on the hill. Then 
he lifted her in his arms tenderly to carry her to the 
waiting automobile; and as he did so, the last hairpin 
fell out of her hair on to the table by the door. He 
set her down for a second, and put it in his pocket, 
then picked her up again and strode on. 

The party set forth in the dawn, down the rough 
craggy hill and reached the motor in silence. 

Eustace got up in front by the driver, and Bayard 
sat down by Sir Edward in the back seat, with Nadine 
between them. 

She laughed softly. 

“ Oh, I am so happy. You are so stupid to be 
cross, papa! ” 

Then she nestled up to Bayard, who encircled her 
with his arm. 

Sir Edward sat in grim silence as they tore along, 
and after Nadine had whispered over and over again 
that she loved Bayard, and given his shoulder little 
kisses as she rested against it, she seemed to become 
drowsy. As for Bayard, he was a prey to alternate 


150 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


fits of rage and joy. And so they arrived at about 
five o’clock in broad daylight, at the beginning of Gold 
Rock’s main street. Here there were one or two miners 
standing about already, and the chief of police was talk¬ 
ing to the Justice of the Peace and the Sheriff at his 
office door. 

Sir Edward motioned to the driver to stop, and 
turning to Bayard said coldly: 

“ I understand that with the consent of the parent, 
even though the girl is under age, the marriage licence 
can be obtained at once, and the Justice of the Peace 
can perform the ceremony. I wish to lose no time. I 
am leaving for Gold Stamp immediately.” 

Bayard roused Nadine, who opened her eyes dazedly, 
but let him help her out without saying a word, and his 
arms still encircling her, he led her into the office. She 
sank down on an old arm-chair in the outer room, 
while her father and Bayard and Eustace went beyond. 

She was not conscious of what was happening, every¬ 
thing was a dream. And when they came back to her, 
and bade her come into the inner room, she rose obedi¬ 
ently and followed them, still wearing Bayard’s coat, 
so that the wound in her shoulder could not be seen. 

All she registered for the moment was a confused 
murmur of voices, and that she was being told to repeat 
some words which had no meaning to her, and that 
Bayard was taking her hand and putting a bit of wire 
round her finger—a hairpin that he had twisted into 
a ring. 

Then they were in the automobile again, and so to 
the hotel; and there was Blenkie, white as a ghost, still 


THE GREAT MOMENT 151 

on the veranda waiting, with her knitting in a hopeless 
tangle in her hands. 

But that she ran forward and drew Nadine from 
Bayard’s supporting arms, the poor child no longer 
knew, all consciousness had gone from her, and by the 
time they reached the miserable bedroom she dropped 
on to the patchwork quilt of the bed and covered her 
face with her hands. 

“ She has been bitten by a rattlesnake, Miss Blenken- 
sop,” Bayard said to the terrified governess. “ I will 
go for the doctor at once. Take care of her, and put 
her to bed meanwhile; ” and he left the room. 

The events of the night and everything had become 
a blank to Nadine, who collapsed into a kind of swoon. 


CHAPTER XVI 


W HEN Sir Edward reached the hotel he had a 
talk with Mr. Bronson and Sadie, who after 
a short rest had come down again, and were in the 
dining-room eating some breakfast. 

“ A great misfortune has befallen me,” he said in 
an almost strangled voice. “ My daughter has married 
our mining engineer. I would ask you to leave with 
me as soon as we can get away, and please do not have 
any communication with her.” 

Joy rushed through Sadie. Here was an unexpected 
solution of any possible bothers which might have been 
ahead, and it added to her sympathy with Nadine. 

“ Oh, may I not just go up to her, dear Sir Edward ?” 
she implored. “ I always knew she had a crush on Mr. 
Delaval, and really he is fine.” 

“ I ask you not to go near her, Miss Bronson. She 
was bitten by a snake, it appears, but is all right, and 
I want to leave without our having any scandal or any 
scenes, as you can understand this is a great blow to 

_ yy 

me. 

Mr. Bronson motioned to his daughter to desist, 
and they pressed breakfast on poor Sir Edward and 
Eustace, who had just come in. 

No matter what tragedies take place, people must 
eat. 

Sir Edward’s mind was made up. He would settle 
his interest in the mine on Nadine and never have any 
152 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


153 


connections with this country, or see her again. He 
was too stunned with the horror of the whole thing, 
and the frightful blow to his pride, as yet, to be able 
to think clearly, or allow natural affection to have any 
sway. 

As for Eustace, he experienced only relief. He was 
now free of an irritating engagement, and had already 
made up his mind soon to take unto himself a scin¬ 
tillating American bride. 

Meanwhile, up in the dingy bedroom, Blenkie was 
ministering to Nadine. She had undressed the uncon¬ 
scious girl as best she could, and there she lay in bed, 
with eyes closed, half-asleep and half-swooned. Under¬ 
neath, in her refrigerated heart, Miss Blenkensop loved 
her pupil, as indeed did every one who knew her well. 
Her pixie pranks might irritate, but her warm generous 
heart always showed in the long run. Blenkie was 
going through miserable anxiety until the doctor came. 

He was a rough-looking man, undistinguishable 
from the other miners, but possessed of great skill. He 
had brought everything necessary to deal with 
snake-bite. 

“ Here is Doctor Heathcott to see Mrs. Delaval,” 
Bayard said, entering the room with him. 

Miss Blenkensop actually jumped. 

“Mrs. Delaval! ” she cried, aghast; then she swal¬ 
lowed rapidly several times. She had been sitting on 
the bottom of the bed watching Nadine. She had 
remarked the bit of twisted wire around the left third 
finger, and had wondered vaguely what caprice was 


154 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


this, and what had become of the engagement ring? 
She now lifted the tiny white hand which lay limp upon 
the quilt, and looked more closely—the shock was great. 
But Blenkie was not a person to ask questions. 

All she blurted out was: 

“ Does Sir Edward know ? ” 

Bayard nodded, and making a sign to the doctor 
that he would wait in the passage, he left the room. 

The doctor was a man of few words. He examined 
the wound and then sent Blenkie for water and a basin; 
he had heard from Bayard all the details of when 
the bite occurred, and the remedies which had been 
applied. 

Miss Blenkensop quickly did as she was told, and 
soon a small neat plaster covered the sore place; all this 
time Nadine lay with closed eyes breathing as one in 
a heavy sleep. 

The doctor gave her some drops from a phial, and 
put a piqure in her arm—and then he looked up at 
Blenkie with his wise eyes. 

“She’s out of danger,” he announced laconically; 
“ the whisky saved her, but she’s had a close call. She’ll 
sleep now, maybe for twenty-four hours, waking and 
slipping off again perhaps, but she won’t be herself or 
understand things for quite that time. Let her have 
milk if she calls for anything.” 

Then he packed up his paraphernalia, and bowing 
to Blenkie quitted the room. The newly-made husband 
was waiting in the passage, restless with anxiety. The 
doctor renewed his instructions and shook hands. 
“ You’ve no need to worry now,” he said. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


155 


At that moment Mrs. O’Hara, the fat landlady, 
came up the stairs with a message from Sir Edward. 
Miss Blenkensop was to pack up and join the party 
below, who would start for Gold Stamp as soon as she 
could be ready. Mrs. O’Hara entered the room with 
Bayard and delivered the message, while he stood look¬ 
ing at his sleeping bride, from the foot of the bed. 

Blenkie stood up stiffly and flatly refused to go. Now 
that it came to the point, all her real affection for Nadine 
broke the bonds of restraint. She could not leave her 
alone ill and unconscious of what was going on. 

“ I shall stay, Mr. Delaval, no matter what Sir 
Edward says. I cannot leave the child.” Then Bayard 
came forward and took her hand. “ You are a gem. 
Miss Blenkensop, after all; but if you stay it will only 
cause complications. Nadine will be all right now; I 
will take the tenderest care of her, and soon she can 
get her maid. But I am really grateful to you, and so 
will she be.” 

Sir Edward’s voice was heard from the passage: 

“ Miss Blenkensop.” 

And now Blenkie did a thing which she had not done 
for years. Her hard mouth quivered, and then she burst 
into tears and buried her face in her hands. 

But when she had controlled herself she bent and 
kissed Nadine’s forehead in farewell, and with dignity 
shook hands with Bayard and left the room. 

As he held open the door for her, Sir Edward came 
up the stairs, and Blenkie went on to pack. 

Bayard stepped forward in the passage to meet his 
father-in-law. 


156 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Sir Edward,” he said, “ the doctor says your 
daughter is now out of danger; won’t you let me explain 
everything to you before you go away? ” 

Sir Edward’s face was white and set. 

“ I will make ample provision for your wife, Mr. 
Delaval. Her maid and luggage will await her at Gold 
Stamp, but I have no daughter now. Good day,” and 
he passed on. 

Bayard straightened himself and went back into 
Nadine’s room. 

And presently he heard the noise of the motor leav¬ 
ing, and he knew that the little girl was utterly alone 
with him—his very own. 

But what a room to awaken in! He looked round 
at the grubby walls—at the chest of drawers with the 
newspaper cover, and all her gold dressing-bag things 
lying out on it; pretty boxes and brushes and combs. 
A shiver went through him. 

He came over nearer to the bed. There was always 
something pathetic and appealing about Nadine’s tiny 
hands. They looked so helpless, quite unfitted to fight 
with life. She was extremely pale now, the red flush 
had quite left her cheeks, and blue shadows lay under 
the heavy black lashes. Miss Blenkensop had brushed 
her curls. The bed was neatly arranged, nothing was 
disordered and there she lay breathing regularly, sound 
asleep. 

Her thin gauzy pink nightgown was open at the 
neck, and short of sleeve. 

Would she be chilly presently, and ought he to cover 
her up? 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


157 


He drew the wretched clothes further over her, and 
as he did so a great rush of tenderness came over him, 
and he bent and kissed her hair. 

“ My darling little wife,” he murmured, and he said 
a silent prayer. 

Then, as there appeared no prospect of her waking, 
for hours, or requiring anything, he went off to snatch a 
bath in the men’s dressing shed and get some breakfast, 
locking the door after him. 

And so began their wedding day. 


CHAPTER XVII 


W HEN Bayard returned to his wife s room, spruce 
and bathed and fed, he was struck afresh by the 
appalling squalor of it. What could it appear to her who 
had never had to face any hardship, and was only accus¬ 
tomed to the splendour of Pelham Court. How could 
he ever ask her to stay with him here at the mine ? No, 
it would be impossible. He smiled for a moment, think¬ 
ing of the face of the smart French maid, if she should 
be brought here to her mistress! 

It was all very well for one night—these luxurious 
people had thought it a picnic, and fun—but to have 
to spend weeks, and indeed two or three months here, 
would be quite another matter. 

He would have to settle all the work he could this 
afternoon, and then get away on the morrow, when 
she would wake probably fairly all right. He would 
take her back to Gold Stamp to the hotel there, when 
at least she could have proper baths and food. But 
then a blankness came upon him. It would be abso¬ 
lutely impossible for him to stay at Gold Stamp, his 
place was at the mine, and Nadine was not the type to 
leave in an hotel alone. She who had been surrounded 
with care and protection all her life. He almost wished 
now that he had arranged with Miss Blenkensop to wait 
for them at Gold Stamp. The situation was very 
difficult. 

He stood looking at her from the foot of the bed. 
She was exquisitely beautiful, he thought. 

158 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


159 


On the chair, Blenkie had left her neatly folded 
dressing-gown, and the minute mules were on the floor 
beside them, all ready for her if she should wake and 
get up. Order was in the miserable room, if nothing 
else—Blenkie had seen to that. Bayard lifted the filmy 
silk garment and noted its softness, and its laces, and 
he kissed it as he put it back over the common chair. 
Then he picked up a slipper. “ A thing for Cinderella,” 
he said to himself, while he tenderly touched the wee pink 
satin toe—its little buckle a tiny bunch of pink roses. 

He went over to the chest of drawers and looked 
at the gold dressing-table set with “ Nadine ” in seed 
pearls on each piece. Sir Edward had given it to her 
on her eighteenth birthday. Then he listened, for there 
was a noise of roistering voices coming from below. He 
knew this meant the advent of that fresh batch of miners 
from Rockers Point, whom he had heard were expected. 
A warm lot who would make things hum—hardly suit¬ 
able hotel mates for a refined English girl. 

Rockers Point was the roughest centre for two hun¬ 
dred miles round. Some of these men would certainly 
be drunk to-night. They got frightful spirits, pretend¬ 
ing to be whisky, from goodness knows where, and 
the gambling would be high in the hall behind what 
had been the bar; and when these fresh influxes took 
place, he knew by experience that a quarrel with the 
old-timers generally occurred. 

If they should ever get the smallest peck at the gold 
dressing-case things, as could easily happen by the open¬ 
ing of the door, there were one or*two who might make 
a raid at a propitious moment. 

Bayard reflected for a second, then he looked for 


160 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


the dressing-bag, and began repacking the fittings in 
it, and then he came aoross, at the bottom of the case, 
the book of The Story of Bayard : Sans peur et sans 
reproche. 

He did not realize that it was Nadine’s fetish, and 
that she always travelled with it everywhere. It seemed 
mystic and full of meaning to him, finding it there. 
He took it up and opened the leaves; he would read it 
when he should be sitting watching her later on. Mean¬ 
while, he put it on the narrow window ledge by the bed. 

He would try to live up to its principles. Anger 
now began to swell in his heart against Sir Edward. 
He sat down in the battered rocking-chair, and began 
to think deeply. He wanted to be just. So he put 
himself in the father’s place, and weighed up things; 
and gradually the picture became clearer to him. 

Sir Edward Pelham was a very proud man—he 
remembered Nadine telling him that she was sure her 
father would die willingly rather than that any dis¬ 
grace should fall upon the family, and that honour 
mattered to him more than affection, or ambition, or 
anything else in the world. 

This being so, and the hundreds of years behind 
him of tradition and correct behaviour, and class prej¬ 
udice affecting his point of view as well—was his 
action so very unnatural after all? What would he 
—Bayard Delaval—with the same instincts, have done 
in his place? 

And then a dull red flush mounted to Bayard’s fore¬ 
head, as he thought of what that kiss and the whole 
scene must have suggested to eyes and minds totally 
unaware of any extenuating circumstances. No, of 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


161 


course Sir Edward could have believed only one thing, 
that he—Bayard—had grossly taken advantage of his 
daughter and betrayed a trust. And the kiss precluded 
any explanation in words from being effectual—unless 
he had been able to tell the whole truth, that it was 
Nadine herself who had pressed her lips to his, and this 
of course was unthinkable. So at last his anger died 
down. Each human being must act according to his 
law. After all—he himself had contemplated a runaway 
match with Nadine some day!—and this was hardly any 
different, only the runaway would have been to some 
city, not into the wilds. 

He smarted under the knowledge of his own weak¬ 
ness—he, and he alone, had been responsible for the 
situation. Nadine was certainly influenced by the 
whisky, and must be held blameless, whereas he had 
been dead sober as far as that was concerned, and 
only intoxicated by passion. 

He ate the bitter fruit of self-reproach and humilia¬ 
tion to the core, and he sat there in the old rocking- 
chair in the dingy wretched room. 

Then he registered a solemn vow to himself, with 
his hand on The Story of Bayard, that he would not 
allow himself to get out of hand again—no matter 
how she should tempt him, he would keep his head, 
until they could reach civilization, where the fastidious 
taste of neither of them could receive a rebuff. He 
must take no more advantage of outside circumstances 
and seeming moods of his beloved; he must wait 
until she was wide awake and came, in her full senses, 
into his arms. That this would be soon he never 
11 


162 THE GREAT MOMENT 

doubted, and the waiting would be good discipline for 
him. 

It was one o’clock in the day now and he knew that 
he ought to go back to the mine; he held a position 
of the greatest trust, and everyone concerned depended 
upon him. How he could possibly absent himself on 
the morrow he did not yet know. 

But how was he to leave her in this drugged sleep 
all alone ? 

He returned to the bed, the strange contrast of the 
exquisite refinement of Nadine’s nightgown and her 
white tiny hand peeping from the unbleached calico 
sheets, which turned over on to the wretched patchwork 
quilt, struck him afresh, and a great wave of irrepres¬ 
sible love and tenderness swept over him once more. 
Mrs. O’Hara had brought oddments from any old place 
to furnish her hotel. 

What an appalling place for a honeymoon! 

“ As helpless as a baby,” Bayard whispered to him¬ 
self with moisture in his keen grey eyes. 

“ My little darling sweetheart wife.” 

He bent to kiss her gently—and then he drew back— 
no—not a single caress. He must remember to restrain 
himself. 

Whom could he trust to stay with her ? There were 
no women in the camp that he knew. There might 
have been a few miners’ wives, but he knew nothing 
of their characters, and the rest of the females were 
not of a type to be in Nadine’s presence. Mrs. O’Hara ? 
. . . She would promise to stay and watch, but would 
she keep her word? . . . There was nobody but 
“ Uncle Fredrick.” 1 Here was an idea. “ Uncle 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


163 


Fredrick ” was a weird old crippled man, who had 
been a miner in his day, but now sold buttons and thread 
and such-like from a pack, for which he journeyed 
backwards and forwards to Gold Stamp to procure the 
merchandise. He was just a mass of kindliness and 
good-nature, and devoted to Bayard by ties of gratitude 
and affection. 

If he had come in, as was his custom, on a Thursday, 
he would be the only trustworthy person to instal 
as nurse. 

Bayard peeped cautiously from the window—the 
noisy new-comers had trooped up the stairs to their 
fooms—and deposited their bundles, and they had 
now gone down again to the dining-shed for their mid¬ 
day dinner. This would be perhaps the safest moment 
to leave Nadine. 

He bent over her once more, she was sleeping pro¬ 
foundly. Then he straightened himself abruptly, con¬ 
trolling temptation, and left the room, locking the door 
behind him. 

“ Uncle Fredrick ” was found in his accustomed 
place on the veranda, and told briefly what was required 
of him. How Bayard had only just married and 
his wife, an English girl, had been bitten by a rattle¬ 
snake, and was still pretty ill and wanted a careful watch 
kept over her while he was at the mine. Would Uncle 
Fredrick take on the job? Just to sit quite quiet and 
give her milk if she woke? 

The old fellow’s kindly blue eyes softened. His 
sympathy went out to all mankind. 

“ Why, certainly, mate,” he said, and followed 
Bayard’s lead back into the room. 


164 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Well, ain't she a peach! ” he exclaimed when he 
caught sight of Nadine. “ Guess that rattler knew what 
he was about! I’ll sit as quiet as a owl, sonny, until 
you come back,” and he chuckled affectionately. 

So this is how the wedding day of this daughter of 
a great old race passed—in a rough board room in a 
wild mining camp, watched over by a withered kindly 
cripple, while her bridegroom, with an anxious troubled 
heart, faced his duty in the mine. 

The news had gone round that the “ Prince ” was 
married. Married to that dandy daisy—daughter of 
one of the bosses of the mine. The suddenness of the 
ceremony seemed nothing remarkable to them, accus¬ 
tomed to rough-and-tumble ways and rapid action. 

Bayard had to stand some rather ribald chaff, but 
not too much of it, because he was held in awe! No 
one forgot the incident of Black Ranger—a handy gun 
is a powerful aid to being respected in a western mining 
camp! 

But some of the gang in the gallery, where he had 
just passed, said to each other that the “ Prince ” looked 
mighty blue for a bridegroom. At that moment he felt 
mighty blue! What if Nadine should show horror of 
the awful room, and the rough existence ahead of them! 
Then he thrust those thoughts aside and grew more 
cheerful, for had she not said, as they rode, that to 
have some one who would really love her, and to whom 
she meant the whole world, would make life perfect; 
and she had added, “ and then the place would not 
matter.” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


165 


This thought brought return of joy—he would fulfil 
those conditions, for indeed he loved her beyond all 
the world! Oh, the burning memory of her caresses! 
There could be no question about her affection 1 No 
woman in his life had shown so much voluptuous pas¬ 
sion for him. But this thought made his pulses bound 
again! So he made himself concentrate upon mathemat¬ 
ical calculations which were necessary for his work 
just then. But as the time grew near for the men to 
leave the mine, a restless excitement began to possess 
him in spite of his will. Would she sleep on all the 
night, or would she wake ? He would stay there beside 
the bed and watch her. What a superlative moment 
to contemplate, anyway—when he should see those white 
lids unclose and the love-light grow in the blue eyes! 

In spite of all the troubles which seemed to be going 
to raise complications in the immediate future, there 
would be some divine hours of happiness first, when 
she should realize that she was alone with him. How 
they would talk over their absurd wedding, and the 
hairpin wedding ring! The new one which he would 
replace it with should be a narrow band of sapphires 
as blue as her eyes. 

How docile she had been when he had put the 
twisted wire on her finger! Perhaps it was the 
solemnity of the vows they were making which had 
made her so quiet all that time. 

When things could be settled up and he could spend 
weeks with her what wonderful discoveries each would 
make! 

That she had a nature which would require “ a 
master—and lots of love/’ he quite knew. But then 


166 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


he was accustomed to ruling—and passion had never 
been absent from his make-up! 

Thus all the way back to the shanty hotel Bayard 
allowed himself to make plans for joy, and dream of 
divine things! 

He would talk possibilities over with her and see 
what could be done about her residence. The best of 
the summer was before them, but presently it would 
be terribly hot in July and August—that was an extra 
difficulty. By the winter he would somehow arrange 
to get a month or two off, and take her to Virginia, 
and by next year, he would have realized his fortune 
sufficiently to put in a deputy, and only have to come 
to Nevada occasionally to supervise things. 

His thoughts kept saying: 

“ She loves me, she loves me, as much as I love 
her!” 

There was a great crowd of miners on the veranda; 
he got through them and their greetings as quickly as 
he could, and bounded up the stairs. At the door of 
Nadine's room he came upon Mrs. O’Hara with some 
of his clothes over her shoulder, and his valise in her 
hand. “We can’t give you a second room, Mr. Delaval, 
since this posse has come from Rockers Point; but tain’t 
likely you’d be wantin’ it now you’re married, I says 
to myself, so I’m just movin’ your things! ” 

“ I must keep my room, Mrs. O’Hara! ” 

She burst into a peal of fat laughter. 

“ Yu can’t put over a stunt of that sort with me, 
my boy! Two rooms for a honeymoon! Go on! ” 

Accustomed as Bayard was *o the outspoken desert 


THE GREAT MOMENT 167 

ways, and to Mrs. O’Hara’s type of wit, he grew angry. 
This was a fresh and impossible complication. 

“ I tell you I must keep my room. Mrs. Delaval is 
ill and cannot be disturbed.” 

The hostess rocked with laughter. 

“You should worry! ” she gurgled. “ Married this 
morning and two rooms to-night! ” 

She plopped down the valise, and the clothes, and 
waddled off to the stairs, firing a parting shot over her 
shoulder: 

“ Bob Larkin’s snoring in your bed now, dead to the 
world! and Billy Bounker’s going to join him on the 
floor! Feel inclined to clear them—and make a fight 
—say? ” 

Quivering with anger but routed, Bayard tapped 
gently at his wife’s door—a fight could not be con¬ 
templated with Nadine there ill—and in a minute it 
was opened by old Uncle Fredrick—with his finger on 
his lips. 

“ She seemed to rouse half an hour ago, and I gave 
her milk and tucked her up, and made her comfortable 
again, but she never know’d where she was, nor saw 
me, and she’s off sound now—guess she’ll sleep till 
dawn.” 

Bayard carried in his things and put them in a heap 
in the corner—and he drew Uncle Fredrick into the 
passage. 

“ Just wait until I’ve bolted some supper—then I 
won’t have to go out again.” 

The old man nodded, and went back into the room. 

Could anything be more annoying than this! 


168 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Bayard’s face was like an iron mask as he ate his supper, 
and no one dared address a word to him. Then lie 
went outside and looked at the stars for a little, to 
steady himself. 

He would require all his will, he knew! Old Uncle 
Fredrick was nodding when he got back into the room, 
and was glad to be relieved of his long vigil. 

They wrung each other’s hands—and then Bayard 
and his bride were left alone. He turned the rocking- 
chair so that he would not be able to see her, to lessen 
temptation. He made a bundle of his coat for a pillow, 
and lit a candle—he had bought two or three at the 
store—and he divided them into sections, so that they 
would last all night. Then he made a screen with the 
newspaper chest-of-drawer’s cover, so that the light 
would not shine on Nadine’s eyes—and then he went 
over and looked at her from the head of the bed. She 
was lying with one little hand under her cheek, flushed 
now with a more healthy sleep. Her lashes made a 
deep shadow, they were so thick and black and curly. 
There was something delicious and babyish in her 
whole attitude. 

Passionate emotion surged through Bayard. She 
belonged to him! He had every right to take her in 
his arms, and lie down beside her and let her sleep on 
his heart—instead of having to sit up in that stupid 
old chair! And in his emotion he stretched out his 
arms to her, and accidentally touched The Story of 
Bayard , so that it fell to the floor from the narrow 
window ledge at the head of the bed—with a crash. 

So heavily did Nadine sleep that her eyelids never 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


169 


even quivered at the noise. Bayard bent and picked 
up the book. This was a warning! All his passion 
died down, and the insidious sophistry of his reasoning 
with himself became clear to him. 

He had given his word to himself, and he would 
keep it. 

So he took the little beautifully bound volume grate¬ 
fully over to the rocking-chair, and settled himself as 
easily as he could in it, and began to read. 

Thus began the wedding night of Bayard and 
Nadine! 


CHAPTER XVIII 


M EANWHILE, Sir Edward and the rest of the 
party had arrived at Gold Stamp—all very silent! 
Sadie Bronson felt that her personal game was won, 
and no new effort was needed, but she had taken an 
affection for Nadine, and she could not bear to think 
that she was perhaps going to be unhappy. The impres¬ 
sion she got of the affair was that Nadine and Bayard 
Delaval had run straight off to the Justice of the Peace’s 
when they rode away, and that it was after the marriage 
that Sir Edward had found them. He, Sir Edward, 
had purposely fostered this idea. 

“ Poppa, it was strange Nadine having been bitten 
by a rattlesnake,” Sadie said to her father when they 
were alone; “ we were only talking about them as we 
rode along. I thought people always died, though, if 
that snake did strike ? ” 

“ So they do unless the place can be cut and the poi¬ 
son sucked out at once,” her father told her; “ and they 
take a lot of whisky. I don’t expect she really was 
bitten though. I expect that this is part of the plan to 
get by with it all.” 

Sadie agreed with him. 

“ Oh, poor Nadine! ” she sighed. “ How perfectly 
terrible to have to live at a mine! There is no man 
this side of Jordan who’d get me to do it for him.” 

“ I can’t understand Delaval,” Mr. Bronson 
remarked with a worried frown; “ he’s the straightest 
chap I’ve ever met. He is more respected by all the min- 
170 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


171 


ers than any man in Nevada, and it does not seem quite 
square to run off with that child—engaged to another 
man too.” 

“ Poppa, do you think there is something under¬ 
neath that we don’t know about? You’ve given me 
an idea—I’ll get it out of Eustace! ” 

But none of them then guessed that this “ idea ” 
of Sadie’s would later on make another strange turn 
in'Nadine’s destiny! 

This was not the moment to ask questions of the 
discarded lover though—that horse-sense which always 
guided Sadie, told her! This was the moment to be 
all that was frank and friendly and soothing to him— 
that was all. 

Sir Edward, shrewdly suspecting that Bayard would 
bring Nadine immediately to Gold Stamp wanted to 
leave for the east as soon as possible. From Washing¬ 
ton, where he meant to join the Crombies before going 
on a tour of Canada, he would make the settlement 
of his share of the mine on his daughter. Let her live 
comfortably at all events, and not be dependent upon 
her rascally lover. 

But all that night he was haunted by dreams of 
Nada. She was in his arms caressing him in the way 
she used to do, tantalizing—retreating—advancing— 
biting his fingers in play—stamping her little feet, and 
suddenly pinching his ears! So that he awoke quivering 
with the pain of his loss—and his memories. 

But he was as yet too hurt in his pride to realize * 
that if Nadine had so tempted the young mining engi¬ 
neer, he might have found it very hard to resist her! 


172 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Bayard Delaval steadily read the story of Bayard 
the Knight as he kept vigil. He guessed exactly why 
Miss Blenkensop would have welcomed such a history 
for Nadine to enthuse over! And he smiled, but then 
the nobleness of Bayard’s character affected him— 
indeed he was one who had made honour famous and 
a splendour to be striven for—“ without fear and with¬ 
out reproach! ” 

He, this modern Bayard, was perhaps without fear, 
but he certainly could not claim to be without reproach 
in the past! The simple story touched him profoundly, 
as all great things must touch fine souls, and it helped 
him to keep his vow through the hours. He could not 
sleep, however, nor eliminate all passionate thoughts— 
he could only force his will to be obeyed. Nadine turned 
once or twice—and he rose to see if she was waking; 
but no, the drug the doctor had given must have been a 
very strong one. Suddenly, at about two o’clock, she 
began to talk in her sleep—incoherent rushes of words 
for the most part, from which now and then a clear 
sentence would emerge. 

“ Winnie, he’s my Knight Bayard, come to set me 
free! I know I shall love him . . . ‘ Eustace ’—do 
I like the name ‘ Eustace ’ ?—not much! But what’s 
in a name, Winnie! We can call him Bayard, if we 
please! ” 

A light dawned upon Bayard Delaval. She had 
seen him from the window that day and evidently 
thought that he was Eustace! whom she must have 
been expecting—that had been the reason of her emo¬ 
tion when first he had told her his name was Bayard! 

And then a wave of joy came over him and triumph. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


173 


So he had been her very first ideal! His was the image 
which filled her imagination before she had become 
engaged to her cousin! In all reasonable probability 
he, Bayard, was her first love! 

“ And I shall be her only one—so help me, God! ” 
he swore. “ If a man can hold a woman, I shall hold 
Nadine! ” 

“ Bayard, I don’t want to go down the mine,” her 
plaintive voice went on—the little husky tone in it al¬ 
ways making it so fascinating and un-English, however 
supremely refined her English pronunciation might be. 
And naturally never hearing any slang or slurring of 
words from her father or Miss Blenkensop, Nadine’s 
voice was beautifully cultivated. Sadie Bronson always 
said to her father: 

“ Nadine and her dad have got English accents ! ! ” 

Bayard delighted in their low musical tones, and now 
Nadine’s were doubly sweet to hear, for her incoherent 
murmurings showed that he occupied her subconscious 
mind. The words came brokenly, but his alert imagina¬ 
tion pieced them together,—and when she soon relapsed 
into deep sleep again he had gathered that his were the 
only man’s lips which had ever met hers. Eustace stood 
for nought in her life, and the engagement had been but 
an empty form. 

He went back to his rocking-chair then, very happy, 
and soon, he too fell asleep, for he was worn out. He 
was awakened at four o’clock by a tap on the door. 
It was old Uncle Fredrick come to tell him that there 
had been a fight between some of the watchmen at the 
mine and some new-comers, and he must come at once 
and settle things. The old man promised to stay in the 


174 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


passage and let no one enter the room until Mrs. O’Hara 
should bring up some fresh milk to them later in the 
morning, and Bayard tore off to the automobile which 
was waiting with the messenger, who had brought the 
news. Bitter disappointment was in his heart. She 
would probably wake soon, and he should not be there! 

When he reached the mine he found things had 
quieted down, but it would be necessary for him to 
go over to Rockers Point as quickly as possible, and see 
the authorities there, as he found the row had been 
caused by some men of the gang who had come in 
from that place. Now, however, he could return to 
his bride—and perhaps he would yet be in time to 
watch her awakening! He would bathe and freshen 
himself before he should come to her though! 

It grew to be nearly eight o’clock, and the two 
men, who had been very drunk the night before, lurched 
out of their room beyond the stairs, singing loudly, 
as they came along the passage. The walls—mere board 
partitions—were so thin that every sound could be heard 
and the uproar roused Nadine as the effects of the drug 
had worn off. 

She opened her blue eyes drowsily without the 
slightest memory of anything which had occurred—nor 
where she was—nor what had happened to her! 

Her ears took in the drunken sounds outside*—and 
some vague feeling of intense disgust pervaded her, 
that was all. 

She raised herself and looked at the awful room— 
the sun was pouring through the gaps left by the inade¬ 
quate calico curtains. Her eyes travelled over each 
object, and came upon Bayard’s heap of clothes and 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


175 


his valise in the corner. It was plain to be seen that 
they were men’s things—a silk shirt, and a grey flannel 
coat and trousers. Nadine pressed her forehead—what 
could it all mean? Where was she? A feeling of fear 
came over her, and she clenched her hands—and in 
doing so touched the hairpin wedding ring! 

She peered at it with great surprise—she examined 
it closely. Yes, it was a hairpin certainly! 

What had become of her engagement ring? 

It felt as though her head was bursting, it ached so, 
some fleeting horror obsessed her, but she could not 
grasp it, nor remember what it was. She felt weak 
and ill, and terribly nervous. 

Her shoulder did not hurt much, except when she 
moved it. The pain brought back the last emotions 
which her conscious mind had experienced before she 
had fainted—agonizing fear of Bayard, and the knife. 
She trembled all over, although she had no real mem¬ 
ory of events. 

She was all alone in this strange place. Where were 
her father—and Blenkie? A sense of calamity was 
upon her, the effects of the drug gave her a sick feeling. 
She struggled to think, but it was no use. 

Bayard had returned half an hour ago and hearing 
no sound in the room had gone off to his shave and 
bath as he had arranged before returning to her—and 
he was almost ready in the general dressing shed when 
he heard the drunken voices in the hall, and hastened 
back so as to protect her if anything should happen. 

Uncle Fredrick was smoking, seated on an upturned 
box in the passage. “ She ain’t woke, sonny,” he said. 
“ There ain’t a sound.” 


176 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


The drunken men had reached the veranda below 
by this time, and Mrs. O’Hara was coming up the 
stairs with a tray and a jug of hot milk. 

She bustled past Bayard with a knowing wink: 

“ Guess y’r bride will want some comfort—with you 
out half the night, Mr. Delaval,” she said as she opened 
the door, and went into the room. 

With his heart thumping with excitement and antici¬ 
pation, and his clear-cut attractive face radiant, Bayard 
followed her. Nadine was sitting up in bed, huddled 
together as if cold, in her thin transparent silk night¬ 
gown. Her little face was wan and startled, the ivory- 
olive tone of her skin seemed greenish white, and even 
her usually rosy lips were paler. When her eyes lit 
on Bayard, instead of the love-light that he had expected 
to see dawn, a look of shrinking fear came into them! 
He caught his breath as if a stab went through his heart. 

In her still dazed consciousness he only represented 
pain—and a knife to Nadine. Mrs. O’Hara put the 
milk down on a broken chair. 

“ Good morning, Mrs. Delaval,” she said; “ s’pose 
you’ve not had too gorgeous a night—bless yu.” 

Wonderment came over the poor child. Mrs. 
Delaval . . . what did the woman mean? Bayard 
motioned to the fat good-natured creature to leave the 
room, which she did with a broad grin on her face, 
full of significance. 

With joy quenched, and mouth stern and anxious, 
Bayard came and leaned on the rail at the foot of the 
bed. 

“ Did you hear what she said? ” Nadine asked in a 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


177 


trembling voice. She was every minute becoming more 
awake, and more aware of the horrible surroundings, 
which she now knew that she had seen before. 

“Who—who is Mrs. Delaval?” Then when she 
realized that a man was looking at her, she instinctively 
pulled up the patchwork quilt in some confusion. Bayard 
felt suddenly cold and faint, his throat seemed paralysed, 
and it was hard to articulate. 

“ Nadine!—Good God! Don’t you remember our 
wedding yesterday—at the Justice of the Peace’s office ?” 

Great tears welled up in her eyes—and a blank, 
frightened stare grew, as though she were trying to 
think, then she shook her head slowly. 

What—what was he talking about? Memory was 
returning. There was something about a snake—but 
a wedding . . . ? 

She looked down at the hairpin ring with a puzzled 
frown, and then—her nerves all torn by the strain that 
they had been through unknowingly—gave way com¬ 
pletely, and she screamed aloud, and afterwards fell 
to weeping bitterly, while words came brokenly: 

“ Oh, what terrible thing has happened? Oh, you 
cruel man—what—what have you done ? ” 

Then fear shook her. She was beyond reasoning 
and her faculties were not all awake—it was just a 
sort of panic which was overcoming her. 

“ Papa—Blenkie—where are you ? ” and she 
screamed once more. 

It was as if the lightning had struck Bayard. All 
her passionate love for him which she had showered 
upon him with wild abandon had just been the effect 
12 


178 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


of intoxication then! She was herself now, and she 
did not remember a thing. 

The ghastly tragedy of it. 

Indeed, indeed, what terrible action had he not 
committed? He a gentleman, had taken advantage 
of an unconscious girl, because his own passion had 
clouded his apprehending faculties. Of course he ought 
to have known that she was irresponsible. He had 
thought that the whisky had removed inhibitions and 
perhaps excited her, but that the real Nadine was talk¬ 
ing and acting—not that she was intoxicated and un¬ 
knowing. 

“ My God! ” he cried in his agony. “ I did not 
understand. I thought you knew what was happening, 
and consented. I—I—thought you loved me! O, 
God! forgive me, Nadine.” 

She sobbed on, but his voice was clearing things 
in her brain and linking up connections. 

He controlled himself, and spoke now coldly. He 
must repair this hideous mistake as quickly as he could, 
and try to act chivalrously like the knight Bayard. He 
did not know enough of very young girls to know that 
it was shock, and the dreadful room, and the loneliness 
which was affecting Nadine’s still unbalanced mind. 
He thought that she was expressing her sane senti¬ 
ments now, and that he must accept the inference of 
them without argument or an attempt to change her 
feelings. He was a proud man, as proud as Sir Edward 
in his own way, and as well as being mad with himself, 
he was wounded to the core. She had evidently been 
playing with him from the beginning it would seem. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 179 

And he had sworn to God that he would be her only 
love! What fools men were! 

i “ Nothing has been done which cannot be undone, 
Miss Pelham,” he said sternly. “ You were bitten by 
a rattlesnake—and we had to stay in my shack all night 
—and yesterday ”—here his voice failed him for an 
instant—“ your father would not accept my explana¬ 
tion, so—we were married on the way back.” He looked 
at her once more with agony in his grey eyes—his face 
was drawn and haggard now. As she sat there in the 
wretched bed all crumpled together crying, she still 
seemed the dearest thing the earth held for him—he 
had never loved her more deeply than now, when he 
must say farewell. 

It seemed to him his duty and his honour were 
plain before him, and in case he should weaken, if 
he stayed a minute more, he turned to the door. 

“ I will send after your father and Miss Blenkensop, 
and hope to catch them up. Meanwhile, I will see that 
you are protected—until you obtain your freedom. 
Good-bye, Miss Pelham,” and he opened the door and 
went out. 

Nadine was hardly conscious that he was gone, nor 
had she taken in all the meaning of what he had said. 
She went on sobbing violently. 

Bayard strode down the stairs, but on the veranda 
he staggered a little, and sat down on a bench to think. 

Mrs. O’Hara saw him with the corner of her eye, 
as she was clearing away some breakfasts from the 
room within. He called to her. 

“ Go to Mrs. Delaval, please,” he said shortly. 

But before she could answer him, he started up and 


180 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


went on down the steps into the street and on towards 
the Sheriff's office, and was soon out of sight. A hell 
of pain in his heart—and anger and chagrin. 

“ Something’s gone wrong,” the stout landlady said 
to herself. “ I’d better go up and see what. Flappers 
is fools whether they’re daughters of Dooks or miners 
—guess this one’s given him the go-bye. Poor boy! ” 

So up the stairs she went. 

Nadine was still sobbing, but everything that led 
up to the snake-bite was becoming clear—and the fear 
of the knife and Bayard was growing dimmer. It had 
never been concrete, only an impression of the last 
remembered thing, and now the consciousness of her 
love for him was filling her again. 

She began to rack her brain to try and remember 
what had happened—but it was no use; her head felt 
like wool, and the only thing which would come was the 
tune of the Red Sarafane. Why should it be haunting 
her now ? 

How could it be that she did not remember being 
married? And as she thought of this, in spite of her 
sobs, she felt a little thrill. ... Was she really married 
—married to her knight ? . . . 

He had been here in her room—and again the con¬ 
fusion of being in her nightgown overcame her, and 
she clutched at the quilt, taking her hands from her eyes. 
But he had gone away—angry. She gave a wild sob. 
At that moment Mrs. O’Hara opened the door. 

“ My—my!—this will never do,” she exclaimed, sit¬ 
ting down on the side of the bed. 

“ You’s just worn out, dearie—drink the milk and 
that will hearten you.” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


181 


Nadine had all the English reserve and dislike of 
strangers’ interference, but the fat creature was so 
kindly, and she was so very frightened and worried 
all by herself 1—because she now realized that her family 
must have gone. So her first impulse to request the 
woman stiffly to leave her passed, and she let her pour 
out the milk and accepted the cup gratefully, controlling 
her sobs which had now become little shuddering sighs. 

“ He’s the dandiest man in Gold Rock and the whole 
of Nevada, for that matter—your husband, ma’am— 
but girls does quarrel over trifles, and that’s how trouble 
comes.” 

Nadine did not answer, she drank the milk. 

“ Say,—you do love him—don’t you, dearie ? He’s 
a real gentleman. The ‘ Prince,’ we calls him in the 
mining camp. I’m sure he did not mean to hurt you. 
You’ll kiss and be friends when he comes back? ” 
Nadine nodded. The milk was comforting her. Mrs. 
O’Hara went on: 

“ Now if you’d take advice from an old desert 
woman, as knows men well,—you’ll not let him see 
you peeved and draggled when he comes in. You’ll 
get up, and look for your prettiest outfit, and you’ll 
doll yourself up—and you’ll be all ready waitin’ to 
spring into his arms, the picture of happiness.” 

A smile gradually spread over Nadine’s face—and 
she nodded her head again. Mrs. O’Hara got off the 
bed—she felt as pleased as Punch that she had accom¬ 
plished her mission. 

“ I’ll tell yu what I’ll do for you, dearie,” she 
announced with generous pride; “ I’ll bring you a drop 
of hot water to wash with—I will.” 


182 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


And as Nadine began to thank her for this welcome 
promise, she kissed her fat fingers to her and left the 
room. 

Then the poor little girl nestled down in the clothes 
again for a minute, and began stroking her hairpin 
wedding ring. He had given her that, and she kissed it. 

And the milk having restored her a little, her real 
feelings began strongly to reassert themselves. 

“ Bayard,” she whispered softly—“ I love you, I 
love you.” 

She was not quite sure what he had been angry 
about, but anyhow she would smooth it all away when 
he came back to her. He had said he loved her—she 
remembered that in the canyon—and she was married 
to him—really married to him—and they would stay 
together for always. How silly she had been to cry. No 
wonder he was cross with her making such a scene! 

What did he mean by saying nothing was done 
which could not be undone? But this was still too 
difficult for her confused mind. Only big primitive 
forces could take hold of it yet,—and now that fear had 
passed, love flooded it. 

Nothing was really coherent but that she adored 
Bayard, and was married to him, and as that funny 
fat woman had said, she would make herself pretty 
and be quite ready to spring into his arms when he 
returned. 

But at that moment, Bayard, seated in the Sheriff’s 
office, was explaining matters to him—who was a friend 
—and the legal annulment of the marriage would be 
started at once. 


CHAPTER XIX 


'VJ ADINE’S head began to clear when she got out 
^ of bed, and Mrs. O’Hara, true to her promise 
brought up a jug of hot water, and put it inside the door. 

“Now that the camp’s growin’ I’ll have bath tubs 
put in next winter if we can get the water,” she said. 
“ But I’ve seen many a boom and then drop; and it’s 
no use in sinkin’ y’r money till y’r sure, sez I! So bless 
yu, my dear, if you stay here with y’r husband, you 
may be able to have a dandy bath by Christmas! ” 

Nadine thanked her, and when the jolly creature had 
left the room, the picture of mining camp life came 
clearly to her. Would she really have to stay in this 
unspeakable place, with only a jug of hot water, daily, 
to wash with ? Involuntarily she shuddered. 

Her mind as far as the events which had occurred 
after she had fainted was practically an absolute blank. 
She knew nothing of how she had tempted Bayard in 
the shack, nor of all the passionate love-words she 
had said. 

She remembered that he had told her that he loved 
her when the horses broke away, and she remembered 
that she had felt that she loved him very much in return. 

After the snake had bitten her, the next clear thing 
was her agony of fear about the knife—then oblivion 
until she had awakened in this horrible room! 

While she dressed, the significance of some things 
grew clearer to her. 

How had it been possible that she had been married 

183 


184 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


to Bayard without knowing it? Did snake-bite take 
away people’s reason? She could understand being 
in a faint and not being aware of things, but not having 
gone through a ceremony, speaking and acting like an 
ordinary person, and then not having any recollection 
of it. She knew nothing of having taken the whisky. 
Her mouth felt very hot and dry, and her head ached, 
but never having seen any one intoxicated, and never 
having heard anything about such things in her quiet 
stately sheltered life, she had no clue in this. 

It was all a terrible mystery! 

And then a dreadful feeling of sinking and depres¬ 
sion came over her, as her reasoning power brightened, 
and suddenly a strange terror, for the thought struck 
her —what could have happened that her father had 
insisted upon the marriage. 

She had some vague memory of her childhood when 
a schoolroom maid had got into some kind of trouble— 
she never knew exactly what—and had to be married 
off, and she was not allowed to ask questions about it 
—but the idea of a forced marriage had stayed in her 
mind ever since as some dreadful thing. 

But Bayard was her knight, he could never have 
injured her—surely? 

She knew her father was a just man though, if very 
stern, therefore something must have convinced him 
that it was necessary that they must be married! 

Now what was it? A sickening sense of appre¬ 
hension began to invade her brain. And Eustace ? Had 
some one given him back the engagement ring? What 
had become of it ? Who was at the wedding? And why 


THE GREAT MOMENT 185 

had her father and Blenkie—and she supposed Sadie 
and Mr. Bronson—gone off and left her alone? 

It was obvious that whatever had occurred, Bayard, 
who had not been bitten by a snake, and was not 
unconscious, must have been to blame for it! 

This thought was so awful, that for the moment it 
blotted out the memory of her love—the proud Pelham 
spirit grew in the ascendant, and anger trembled through 
her. She was not a doll, or a child, to be disposed of 
by two men as they thought best! She must have an 
explanation with Bayard—and soon! 

Suspicion, and doubts, and fears held her thoughts 
as she tried to dress. Had Mum ford been right—and 
was Bayard not a gentleman after all ? If he had taken 
some advantage of her while she was unknowing of 
what was happening, he was simply a cad, and whether 
she had loved him or not she would only hate him now! 

After all, what did she really know about him? 
Nothing, except that he was just her ideal of a man! 

And here she was dressing meekly to await his 
return to her! Anger blazed up again—but then a 
thought—Return ? But what had he said ? 

The poor child put her hand to her forehead, trying, 
trying to remember. 

He had said—and she repeated it again—“ Nothing 
had been done which could not be undone,” and then 
he had spoken of her freedom! What did that mean? 
Everything was a maze, and she felt as if she were 
going mad. How angry and white he had looked! 
It was very unjust of him to be angry, because how 
could she possibly have understood what he was talk¬ 
ing of! 


186 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Then she felt giddy and sick, and sat down upon the 
broken chair. All the nerves in her poor little body 
were suffering from shock—she did not realize this, or 
know that her wretchedness was half physical. All 
she knew was that every one whom she had believed 
in, seemed to have failed and deserted her. Her father 
and Blenkie had left her alone with this man who was 
not well known to any one of them, except Mr. Bronson. 
Yes, Mr. Bronson knew him well, and respected and 
trusted him! That was something! 

She tried to get up again and go on with her dressing. 
She searched about to see what had become of her 
dressing-case fittings; then she saw the case and opened 
it, and found them all put back. Who had done this ? 
Her book, The Story of Bayard, lay on the table. Who 
had put it there ? She began to walk up and down the 
room. Had Bayard stayed there all night? or was it 
perhaps nights and nights? No, he had said they were 
married yesterday. Then her innate modesty became 
affronted. He had seen her in her nightgown—it was 
all perfectly dreadful! She asked herself over and over 
again could not she remember something? 

But nothing would come. 

She would go over all the bare facts once more since 
they left the mine, and she faced them one by one. 
She had been bitten by a snake and swooned. Then 
she had awakened all alone in the Gold Rock shanty 
hotel, finding, instead of her engagement ring, a twisted 
bit of wire round her left third finger! 

Bayard had then come in with the landlady who had 
called her “ Mrs. Delaval! ” 

He then told her that she stayed alone with him in 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


187 


the shack, after she was bitten, and that her father 
coming there would accept no explanation from him, 
Bayard, but insisted upon his marrying her at once! 

* * * * * 

The ugly impression of the schoolroom maid mys¬ 
tery came to her, and her cheeks flamed. She was going 
through the most awful moments which had ever come 
to her in her eighteen and a half years of life! 

Any girl finding herself in such a situation in a 
strange wild country among people whom she did not 
know, would have been greatly disturbed, even if she 
knevy the world and its ways; but to an absolutely inno¬ 
cent and ignorant creature like little Nadine, who had 
been sheltered and protected from her birth, it was all 
a terror. 

What should she do?—run away? but where to? 

Panic was seizing her. An unreasoning fear of 
Bayard—fear of everything. But her courage came 
back soon, and she clenched her strong white teeth 
fiercely, and made herself finish her dressing. Then 
she began walking up and down the room—the racking 
uncertainty was almost unbearable. 

“ The Pelhams were never cowards! ” she said to 
herself firmly, “ and I must not be.” 

Half an hour passed in this cruel way, then as she 
paced the floor she noticed again Bayard’s bag and 
valise, and his clothes lying in a heap in the corner. 
They seemed to have been what her eyes had first 
lighted on when she had awakened. She went over to 
them now, and stared at them. She remembered that 
silk shirt—it was the one he had worn at the mine— 


188 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


and look!—there was some blood on the sleeve—her 
blood! She picked the shirt up—and then a strange 
thing happened! The feel of it brought Bayard, her 
beloved, back to her, it connected some tender chord 
in her subconsciousness! A new and passionate wave 
of emotion came over her for him. What if he had 
some explanation to make ? 

But if he had or he had not, she could not help lov¬ 
ing him! She was trembling all over now! 

She rushed to the distorted mirror. No! she was 
not looking pretty! She was so pale! She had some 
scent in one of her gold-topped bottles. She would rub 
her cheeks and lips with that, to try and bring some 
colour into them! Why had Augustine put in only this 
striped jersey frock? It was not very becoming. Oh, 
would he never come ? 

She set about tidying the room, and she folded 
Bayard’s clothes as neatly as she could, and put them 
on top of the valise. And her heart began to beat 
very fast with excitement. What would they say to 
one another—when he did come? And if he had some 
explanation to offer?—and—and—she did stay with 
him—and he was her husband . . . what would it be 
like? Confusion filled her—a strange weird fluttering 
feeling in her heart. And with her cheeks glowing 
now, she clasped her little hands. Footsteps were com¬ 
ing up the stairs. They were heavy footsteps though— 
Bayard must be still very angry. There was a knock at 
the door. 

She went to it and opened it. 

A strange man stood there with a big envelope in 
his hand. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 189 

“ Are you Mrs. Bayard Delaval, ma’am? ” he said, 
eyeing her curiously. 

Nadine felt her voice strangle, she was so excited, 
so she nodded a little consciously, and the man handed 
her the ominous-looking letter. 

She opened it. It was a legal document bearing the 
Sheriffs stamp. She made out that it had something 
to do with an application for the annulment of marriage 
between Bayard Delaval and Nadine Pelham, with a 
lot of legal terms attached. 

“ Mr. Delaval asked me to show you where to sign, 
ma’am—I’m to act for you,” the man said. And then 
by way of comforting her, he added: “ It’ll only take 
a short time before you’s free! ” 

The blood all left Nadine’s face—the shock was so 
great, and then all the pride in her nature came to her 
rescue, and she raised her little childish curly head with 
the air of an empress, and looked at the man straight 
in the eyes. 

“ Very well/’ she said, and walked to the table. 

He gave her his stylo pen, and she signed firmly in 
bold characters, for the first and last time, “ Nadine 
Delaval;” then quite calmly she handed the paper to 
the man, who was evidently to be her attorney, and 
thanking her, and saying he would communicate with 
her later, he left her alone. 

But when he had gone, a pathetic little figure stag¬ 
gered to the bed and flung itself down. 

It was not whether Bayard had an explanation or 
not to offer, or whether he was guilty of some offence 
against her, or he was not. Fate had stepped in and 
parted them. He, Bayard, had set her free! And now 


190 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


she knew that she loved him, good or bad, guilty or not 
guilty, better than anything else in the world! 

She was too unspeakably wretched for tears, but she 
covered her face with her hands, and in doing so the 
hairpin wedding ring scratched her. 

For some unknown reason, connecting far back with 
the gipsy instincts again, this little circumstance angered 
her, and in a sudden gust of temper she pulled it off, 
and with a mocking hollow laugh she twisted it straight, 
and into a hairpin again—and jumping up went to the 
mirror and put it into her hair. 

She felt that she hated all men in the world. Bitter¬ 
ness alone filled her heart at the sorry ending to her 
love dream! 

No one would have recognized the face which looked 
back at her as the little Nadine’s—the eyes were those 
of a hard cynical woman. 

As she turned away, there was another knock at 
the door. 

It was “ Uncle Fredrick ”—whom she did not re¬ 
member seeing before. He brought a note, and said 
he would call again with the motor to take her to Gold 
Stamp at one o’clock, but he asked now for Mr. Delaval’s 
things. 

Nadine pointed to the heap in the corner, and she 
controlled herself until the old man had left the room 
with them, then she tore open the envelope feverishly. 

The letter was written upon the Sheriff’s paper. 
The writing was strong and firm, and rather English 
looking, not large and American like Sadie’s and Mr. 
Bronson’s, which she had chanced to have seen. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


191 


For a minute she held her breath, and a mist seemed 
to be rising before her eyes. Then she looked at the 
date. 

Gold Rock, 

June 30 , 1920 . 

“ Dear Miss Pelham ” (it began),— 

“ I have arranged that the ghastly mistake shall 
be righted as soon as possible. The Justice of the Peace 
who married us is a friend of mine, so that will simplify 
the annulment proceedings, and you will be free in a 
very short time. I have wired to Miss Blenkensop at 
Gold Stamp, and I calculate that it will reach her before 
the party can have left in the private car. I have asked 
her to remain and meet you—and I have arranged that 
the old man who brings this, Fredrick Binwood, will 
accompany you back to Gold Stamp this afternoon. I 
am called away immediately to Rockers Point, where 
disturbances are taking place. Mr. Arisen, who brought 
the preliminary application paper for you to sign, will 
represent you, and send all communications to the Gold 
Stamp Palace Hotel. 

“ I can only wish you all happiness in your future 
life, and express my sincerest regrets for having unwit' 
tingly caused you trouble in our short acquaintance. 

“ Yours truly, 

“ Bayard Del aval.” 

Nadine became icy cold as she read the last words. 

She felt as if death was clutching at her heart. 
Then she sank on to the bed in passionate weeping. 

“ O God! ” she cried piteously—“ now I know what 
the snake dream meant! ” 


CHAPTER XX 


W HEN Bayard had set the easy western law in 
motion he rushed to find Uncle Fredrick. He 
explained very briefly the truth to him, that Nadine 
had been unconscious at the wedding, and asked him 
to keep guard over her until he delivered her to her own 
people at Gold Stamp. 

The old man, whose wits were sharp over the ways 
of humanity, grasped the situation. “ It all seemed 
to me queer-like boy,” he said, “ as I sat beside her— 
seemed as it couldn’t have been natural for her to have 
been married, and then dead asleep like that. You’re 
best out of it. Them English aren’t the same as us—they 
have their prejudices, and their pomps and ceremonies. 
If you want the girl—court her proper like, in a city— 
not out here in the rough.” 

“ You are perfectly right, Uncle. I was crazy.” 

“ My advice to you is—get clear off now to your 
work at Rockers Point, Bayard Delaval. Nasty things 
happening there—and you’ll have enough to do of man’s 
work to keep you from woman-grievin’—and then when 
you know she’s legally free, and has had time to think 
over things and miss you—go right after her and get 
her proper! But don’t you stay now—you couldn’t 
start with her on a fair plane even if yu made it up— 
there’d be ugly recollections between yu! ” 

Bayard nodded his head—this was good advice as 
far as getting off at once went. The eventuality should 
not concern him! He was through with weakness and 
192 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


193 


women! How had he ever been mad enough to think 
of that dainty exquisite bit of Dresden china out here in 
the wilds! He had simply been intoxicated with emo¬ 
tion and lost his sane point of view. There was no time, 
however, for him to brood, for duty fortunately com¬ 
pelled him to start for Rockers Point immediately, now 
that the arrangements for Nadine’s protection were com¬ 
pleted. That minute a wire had been put into his hand 
from Blenkie. His had caught her actually as she was 
getting into the train, and of course she had remained 
behind, and would await Nadine’s arrival that evening 
at the Gold Stamp Palace Hotel. Mrs. O’Hara had been 
instructed to go up with some light dinner at one o’clock, 
and Uncle Fredrick had a motor waiting to conduct 
“ Miss Pelham ” across the mountain and desert, im¬ 
mediately after. 

So all was done and all was said, and now it simply 
behoved Bayard to be a man and get on with the work 
—grim enough—which lay in front of him. 

So much for romance! 

If he had been an Englishman, the slightly quixotic 
attitude that he had taken up would have struck him 
as perhaps a little dramatic, when later cold hours of 
reflection came; but above every other quality, American 
men are chivalrous to women often to the point of being 
pusillanimous, and putting up with things, and caprices 
and unreasonableness from them that no other nation 
would tolerate for a minute. Bayard was a masterful 
man, and accustomed to ruling, and would certainly rule 
the individual woman who should become his own, but 
the national point of view had naturally affected his 
attitude of mind on the subject of their treatment in 
13 


194 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


general. It seemed to him then the course he had taken 
was the only one a gentleman could take, and he did not 
use his habitual method of psychological deduction to 
probe his motives, or he would have discovered that 
the gall to his pride was so great that it did not permit 
him to reason clearly. Now as he entered the car with 
a face set like iron, no thoughts of any future meeting 
with Nadine were in his mind. He had done with the 
episode in his life, and would give his whole force to 
his work ahead—which was heavy enough to keep 
him busy. 

Uncle Fredrick stood by the car and he gave him 
last instructions. 

“ Put y’r gun in y’r belt, sonny,” the old man said. 
“ Let them see y’r armed this time and mean business! ” 

Bayard, to please him, took the revolver from his 
pocket and slipped it in his belt, western fashion. 

Then at the last minute he looked up at the window 
in the passage, which led to Nadine’s room. Not with 
any hope of seeing her, because her windows looked 
out the other way, but with some uncontrollable senti¬ 
ment. He started the motor, and as he did so, for a 
second he caught sight of a little white face peeping 
suddenly from the window of the passage. He was 
going so fast he was hardly even sure that it was she, 
but instinct made him raise his cap, and there was a 
sardonic smile on his stern lips; then he drove like hell 
down the track into the wilds. 

Nadine had lain on her bed for some while sobbing. 
In her weak state it was difficult to regain her poise. 
She had heard one or two motors come and go, and 
with each noise she had wondered if it might be Bayard. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


195 


At last she made herself rise and pack her few things, 
and put on her coat and hat. Finally, desire to go out 
in the passage and see what was happening seized her. 
Her memory of the place and their arrival there from 
Gold Stamp was now clear. She recollected a window 
which gave on to the veranda just as her own room at 
home gave a clear view of the west entrance...She went to 
it cautiously and peeped from behind the ragged curtain. 
It was just at the moment when Bayard put the revolver 
in his belt. It was Bayard—her lover—her husband! 
He was going away! Then in a flash the motor passed, 
and she saw the hard cynical smile on his beloved face 
as he removed his cap. He had seen her! And again 
that feeling of death came over her, so that she had to 
clutch at the window frame or she would have fallen. 

She had seen him from a window for the first time 
—her knight Bayard! And now it was from a window 
that she had seen him go—go where? . . . Away out 
of her life—into danger!—there was a pistol in his belt! 
and how he must hate her to have looked at her like 
that! It was all cruel and unjust, and he must be a 
brute after all, and she would go back to Blenkie and 
forget him! 

So at last the time came for her dinner and Mrs. 
O’Hara brought up a basin of broth, and a cup of 
coffee, and some little scones that she had made. 

The kind woman believed in creature comforts. She 
knew nothing of a parting between the pair, and thought 
that her former good offices had patched things up. It 
was Bayard’s having to go to Rockers Point into prob¬ 
able danger which she believed was now the cause of 
Nadine’s depression. So she strove to hearten her. 


196 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Sure, Mr. Delaval can shoot straight, ma’am,” she 
said, “ and knows how to defend himself, and I always 
sez them things is fate, and there is no use in worryin’. 
He’ll be all right and back with you at Gold Stamp in 
that gorgeous hotel in no time. You must cheer up and 
be ready for him to have a fine honeymoon.” 

Nadine tried to smile; she felt that she would quite 
break down if she attempted to talk. So while Mrs. 
O’Hara poured out the coffee she had to listen to a 
string of Bayard’s perfections. How he was loved and 
respected—and how all the girls were crazy for him. 
“ And there ain’t none around he’s so much as given 
the chance to! You are sure lucky, ma’am! ” 

Nadine felt as though the food would choke her, 
but swallowed what she could; she had never spoken, 
only nodded her head. Then finally Mrs. O’Hara left 
her, and not long after Uncle Fredrick came up to say 
the car was there. 

Nadine got away at last, thanking Mrs. O’Hara 
for all her kindness, and the jolly creature waving her 
an adieu! 

“ We’ll see you back again soon, dearie,” were her 
last words. 

Uncle Fredrick sat by the driver and spoke never 
a word, but he had taken Nadine’s measure. 

She was a sweet hothouse flower, he decided, but 
you could not transplant them into the desert. 

And in Nadine’s heart there was wild rebellion 
against fate. Here she was going back to be caged once 
more! 

No!—that she would never endure! She had heard 
much of the freedom of American women from Sadie. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


197 


She would make her own life. She knew nothing of 
her father having denied that he had now a daughter, 
and expected that Blenkie would have instructions to 
take her back to England to him. 

She would not go! Whom beside Sadie did she 
know in America? Sadie would probably be preju¬ 
diced. . . . Lady Crombie, of course! who had always 
been such a kind friend! As soon as the legal formali¬ 
ties were over, and she could leave Nevada, she would 
go to Lady Crombie at Washington. She would write 
at once when she got to Gold Stamp, and tell her of 
the injustice of every one concerned. Underneath there 
was the passionate ache for Bayard, suppressed by her 
hurt feelings, which encouraged the doubts and fears 
of what his conduct had been in the shack—would she 
ever know what had happened ? 

The ride seemed a nightmare to her—the heavy black 
clouds which had gathered in the sky seemed in tune 
with her thoughts. And there in the hall of the hotel 
her old governess awaited her! 


CHAPTER XXI 


N OTHING of interest occurred during Nadine’s 
wait in Gold Stamp—except the hardening of 
her character. 

She learned from Blenkie that her father had cast 
her off! She burnt with indignation. What had she 
done? 

When Miss Blenkensop became aware that Nadine 
had been totally unconscious of everything which had 
occurred, the whole sympathy of the hard woman- went 
out to her. Blenkie believed in justice, but at the same 
time a fierce resentment arose in her breast against Mr. 
Delaval. She had no high opinion of men in the 
abstract, and you never could tell how foreigners would 
act! But at least he had done the only decent thing he 
could under the circumstances, in obtaining the annul¬ 
ment. 

Blenkie’s insidious contempt of the young American 
had its effect in keeping up Nadine’s anger against 
him. She had moments when the gipsy part of her 
nature could have killed him—and then when she was 
alone at night she would lie and shake with dry sobs, 
because she knew that she loved him more than ever! 

No news came to them about him except that there 
had been an awful row at Rockers Point (account in 
the local paper) and that free fighting had occurred, 
quelled by the cool courage of the head mining engi¬ 
neer of the Gold Stamp Mining Corporation—Bayard 
Delaval. Nadine read the lin,es eagerly. There were 
198 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


199 


long eulogies upon Bayard. He was dear to every miner 
in the country, and the reporters just “ ate up ” any 
trifle about him. How he had managed to keep the 
spicy tit-bit of his marriage and the annulment of it 
out of the papers, only his friends the Sheriff and the 
Justice of the Peace knew! 

Nadine kept to her room during most of her stay— 
and indeed was in bed for a whole week recovering 
on her arrival. 

Sir Edward had gone straight to Canada instead of 
stopping at Washington. He was too much upset even 
to see his old friends. Lady Crombie wrote that she 
would be delighted to receive Nadine, and she deplored 
the tragic events which had taken place. Nadine had 
told her nothing when she wrote, but that she had been 
married by mistake! So we will leave all this dull part 
of the poor girl’s life in the mist where she would wish 
it to be, and only go on with her story when it becomes 
interesting again. 

But when she left Nevada a great change had 
occurred in her—Blenkie thought not for the better. 
She was much oftener sullen. She would not stand the 
least authority being exercised over her. She was 
bitter, and raged at fate, and her beliefs seemed to 
have been destroyed—and no wonder! 

Bayard had been too occupied for a while to feel, 
but when things quieted down, and he was able to return, 
to Gold Rock a new aspect of the affair struck him, 
and the first time he went out to his shack again the pain 
was unbearable. 

He sat down in the chair by the writing-table and 
reconstructed in his mind the whole scene. Of course 


200 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


he ought to have known that she was intoxicated! Then 
the blood began to run in his veins as the picture of 
how she had looked with the light of passion in her 
blue eyes came back to him. For good or for ill he 
loved her more than ever. Life seemed a sickening 
blank ahead of him without her! 

He avoided hearing news of her, though his friend 
Hickory Cannon came out to Gold Rock and could 
have told him that he had seen her at the Palace Hotel. 

Because of the annulment having been applied for 
immediately after the marriage, made the case not ordi¬ 
nary, and the decision was given at once, and by the end 
of July they were free. 

Then a temptation came to Bayard. Should he go 
after her wherever she had gone, and follow old Uncle 
Fredrick’s advice ? But his work would not let him leave 
the mine then, so he stayed and chafed, and he too 
cursed fate for what it had brought him. 

When Nadine arrived at the Crombies’ house in 
Washington, Lady Crombie was aghast at the change 
in her. A sullen resentful look lay always deep in the 
blue eyes, her timid gentle manner had altered into one 
of more assurance. The gipsy half had begun to show. 

Sir Edward had refused to hear any discussion about 
her. He had provided her with ample money, and 
told the Crombies he did not wish to hear her name 
when he thanked them for receiving her. But when 
Lady Crombie had a full talk with Miss Blenkensop 
the night she and Nadine arrived, she said to her hus¬ 
band, when they were alone, that Sir Edward ought to 
know the truth. 

“ It appears that Nadine was totally unconscious 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


201 


of the entire affair until she woke up the day after she 
was married! So how could anything be her fault, 
poor child! ” 

“ The man is a scoundrel then to have taken advan¬ 
tage of her,” Lord Crombie remarked laconically, “ and 
it is a good thing it is all over, and that there has not 
been a great scandal about it.” 

“ Yes, but,” Lady Crombie protested, “ that does not 
remove the injustice to Nadine in her father’s behaviour 
to her. I must write him a long letter.” 

Lord Crombie fixed his glass in his eye and shook 
his head. 

“ Wait a week or two and see how things are going, 
then we can tell Ned just what we think of her.” 

Lady Crombie agreed. 

“ Miss Blenkensop is returning to England now that 
she can safely leave her charge with us. She is a good 
soul and in her cold way loves the child.” Then after 
a pause: “I wonder if Eustace having married her 
friend Miss Bronson last week will annoy Nadine ? They 
are coming here in a fortnight, you know! ” 

“ I don’t suppose she will care in the feast, she 
never seemed keen upon the fellow. Ned was wrong 
to have thought of such a marriage! ” 

“ Everything seems to be difficult for that poor little 
girl. Now I want her to be happy and forget; we must 
see how we can amuse her, dear.” 

It was the wrong time of the year and most people 
were absent, but a jolly younger set whose parents or 
husbands were in the Government, and could not get 
away. 

It was the first time a feeling of joy had come to 


202 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Nadine, since her sad adventure, when the second even¬ 
ing after she had arrived, Lady Crombie took her to a 
dance at one of the country clubs. Her first day had 
been spent in buying as many new clothes as she could! 
and arrayed in one of them, a frock of scarlet tulle, she 
looked the most exotic and exquisite flower. 

Quite close to this club a fabulously rich millionaire 
had just finished enlarging a perfect palace for himself, 
bought from an impoverished southern family. Mr. 
Howard B. Hopper intended to become a grand seigneur 
in every way! As soon as Nadine came into the room 
with Lady Crombie, the distinguished diplomatist’s wife, 
who was in America on the special mission, Mr. Hopper 
experienced a thrill! 

Here was the very girl who had attracted him on 
the ship, and whom his friend Terry Potter had made 
such a lamentable failure over getting an introduc¬ 
tion to! 

Here was luck! He lost no time in being introduced. 

To Nadine he appeared a rather common man, 
with a very jolly manner, and his bold admiration was 
not displeasing to her. It gave her a sense of her own 
loveliness and importance after the life, practically 
in hiding, she had been living at Gold Stamp. 

“ You just are ” Mr. Hopper told her, as she danced 
with him. 

He danced wonderfully well, and Nadine enjoyed it. 
Lights and music always affected the gipsy part of 
her temperament, and to a connoisseur of women like 
Howard B. Hopper, that passionate magnetic something 
in her was fully appreciated. Bayard would have felt 
it was a desecration for such a person even to touch her! 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


203 


“ I nearly went crazy on the ship because I could 
not get an introduction to you/’ Mr. Hopper told her 
as they went round. “ But fate did not mean you to 
slip away! And now I’m not going to let any grass 
grow, Miss Pelham! ” 

“Were you on the ship?” Nadine exclaimed in 
real surprise. She had never remarked him! This 
piqued him greatly and added to the zest of his chase. 

“ Sure. I had the next table to you in the restau¬ 
rant. You certainly had your back to me, but I never 
took my eyes off that! ” 

Nadine laughed; she wondered if her father had 
noticed him. 

“ You must come to my place. I have a little home 
round the corner that I’d love to show you. I went 
to Europe this spring to choose pictures for it, but 
the prettiest picture I saw I did not catch sight of until 
I was crossing the gangway at Southampton! ” 

The rest of the dance continued with remarks of 
the same kind, each one becoming more bold in its 
expression of admiration! 

Nadine had never had any one to admire her, except 
Bayard, and she had the accessible vanity of primitive 
natures. And with all her training, probably Mr. 
Hopper did not appear as impossibly vulgar to her as 
he would have to a pure-bred English woman. The 
gipsy half of her responded to the obviousness of his 
flattery. Many other men were introduced to her— 
“ charming boys,” the hostess called them. This amused 
Nadine. Why were all males in America called 
“ boys ” ? But she liked them extremely. They were 
all so gay and irresponsible. She danced the entire time, 


204 THE GREAT MOMENT 

and Mr. Hopper took care that he came in for his share 
of favour! 

Of course it had been whispered round that Nadine 
had been the heroine of some wild story out west! But 
no one knew exactly what it was—only it added to the 
interest felt in her. 

To avoid the dull and the ordinary, and to get as 
near the eccentric as possible, was the aim of this 
younger set of society. 

Lady Crombie had not known what the party was 
going to be like, and had taken Nadine there on the 
invitation of a friend belonging to the diplomatic corps. 

She saw in a moment that this was not the circle she 
would have wished Nadine to consort with; but it was 
too late now, as she could see that they delighted her. 

“ I have so enjoyed myself, dear Lady Crombie,” 
Nadine told her as they said good-night. “ I know I 
shall love this place and these delightful people! ” And 
her little face was like a radiant flower. “ They seem 
to have planned lovely things for me to do for days 
ahead—it is all divine! ” 

Lady Crombie was too wise to say anything then, 
but she felt annoyed with herself; it was a pity to have 
given Nadine a taste for the wrong sort of companions. 

And as the days went on they seemed to surround 
her and draw her into their vortex. 

She was out morning, noon, and night. For a week 
the newness of everything, and the gratification of her 
longing for fun and life, seemed happiness; but with 
all her primitiveness Nadine was not really a frivolous 
being, and there grew again the ache of unsatisfaction. 
She bravely tried to banish all thoughts of Bayard when- 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


205 


ever they came to her, but she was not always successful, 
and there were moments when a wild feeling swamped 
her, and made her feel that she must break away and go 
and find him. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Hopper had made up his mind. 

Miss Nadine Pelham, daughter of Sir Edward Pel¬ 
ham, Baronet, of Somersetshire, England, should be his 
wife! That there had been some scandal out west did 
not matter to him! Every one had scandals about them 
nowadays! He did not prize the modest violet—he 
would prefer what he intended to possess to be something 
who would attract interest and attention! 

At all the parties which Nadine attended—the rides 
and the picnics—Howard B. Hopper managed to be 
in her train, although he seldom got a chance to be 
alone with her. He sent her flowers and candies— 
and there was no doubt of his great admiration. Lady 
Crombie had given. Nadine a little sitting-room for 
herself leading out of her bedroom, and it was generally 
full of Mr. Hopper’s American beauty roses. A sort 
of riotous spirit seemed to be developing in the girl, and 
Lady Crombie felt greatly distressed. 

Lord Crombie was studying their little guest with 
his wise old eyes. 

“ She is really very unhappy, Viola,” he said to his 
wife. “ Ho you suppose she cared deeply for that fellow 
out at the mine? I wish you could get the truth out of 
her, and perhaps we could help in some way. The whole 
thing is a great mystery. If you remember, old Ned 
merely said this marriage took place as the suite of a kind 
of riding picnic to the mine—and he was too angry 
to talk about it. Then Nadine writes that she has been 


206 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


married by mistake—and the affair is to be annulled 
immediately; and Miss Blenkensop tells you that she 
was bitten by a rattlesnake, and was completely uncon¬ 
scious from the effects of the whisky she had to take, 
and knew nothing about it! Ton my soul, the whole 
thing is as incredible as a penny novelette! What is the 
truth of it all?” 

“ Yes, I wish I knew. Since it was my fault origi¬ 
nally for taking her to the Buskins’ party, it will be 
very hard to prevent her now from sticking to that 
clan, and they are certainly not the friends Ned would 
approve of for her,” and Lady Crombie sighed. 

“ The mother was the most difficult problem, and 
the daughter looks like following in her footsteps! 
Eustace and his bride will be here next week, and per¬ 
haps they will be able to throw some light upon the 
subject,” Lord Crombie said. But Lady Crombie only 
sighed again. 


CHAPTER XXII 


E VENTS in most people’s lives move with great 
rapidity for long or short periods, and then there 
comes a time of stagnation when nothing seems to be 
happening. 

That August of 1920 was absolutely dead to Bayard 
Delaval. The mine was booming, he was rapidly grow¬ 
ing very rich, but his life went on from day to day, 
exaptly in the same groove. 

It was terribly hot and arid, he had no one of his 
own sort to speak to, and beyond the kindly miners 
there was no one at all! The few officials’ wives in 
Gold Stamp whom he knew, had all left for the sea, 
or a cooler place. He had not spoken to a woman since 
the Pelhams and Bronsons left; unless one excepted Mrs. 
O’Hara! and fearing that she would talk to him of Na¬ 
dine he had gone as rarely as he could to the hotel, and 
always in company. But one day about the middle of 
the month she happened to come and take the vacant 
rocking-chair next to him on the veranda, when busi¬ 
ness took him to the hotel to wait for a man. 

u Yu’r a stranger, Mr. Delaval!” she told him. 
“ Guess yu’ve no pleasant memories of this place! ” 
Bayard stiffened. But she went on unabashed: “ It’s 
yu’as made the mess of things—now don’t get angry, 
boy! ”—for Bayard had made an exclamation of pro¬ 
test—“ if yu’d seen her cryin’ when I got up to her— 
yu’d have known she wasn’t all there—knowin’ what 

207 


208 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


you knew, and what I didn’t know then. Then when 
she woke up really she admitted to me that she loved 
you, and dressed herself up for you—waitin’ for you 
to come to spring into your arms! And you—just 
sendin’ Mr. Arisen! ” Bayard started to his feet with 
the shock of this and then sat down again. “ Oh! I’ve 
heard all about the whole thing from ‘ Uncle Fredrick ’ 
—I don’t talk as you know—but now’s the time to talk 
to you—well, yu just knocked her out, yu did—she no 
more than a baby! Why she never let on when I went 
with her dinner that yu’d parted—only her heart was 
breakin’—I could see that, and thought it was yu going 
into danger as was doin’ it. My! Yu’ve somethin’ to 
answer, Bayard Delaval! I tell you! ” 

The thrust went home! Bayard was deeply moved 
and startled by what she had said—Nadine had admitted 
that she loved him! There was no use in being offended 
with Mrs. O’Hara, she was a character, and every miner 
in Nevada knew her, and respected her for her golden 
heart, and trenchant tongue; she told man’s truth, and 
never beat about the bush, or stung like a female. Bayard 
wanted to hear the truth, which perhaps she could tell 
him. He owned this at last to himself. He knew al¬ 
ready that it was partly his own wounded vanity which 
had made him act in what he now began to feel was an 
over-heroic way. So he relaxed the hostile attitude he 
had adopted towards the kindly landlady, and bent for¬ 
ward eagerly. Was it true that Nadine loved him ? His 
heart beat. 

“ Please tell me everything, Mrs. O’Hara; I feel 
that you are a friend,” he said anxiously. Had he made 


THE GREAT MOMENT 209 

a still more ghastly mistake than his supposed previous 
one? 

Mrs. O’Hara rocked her chair for a second, then: 

“ Well, it’s this way—I’ve heard bits from one and 
another: Sheriff—Doc. Heathcott—Uncle Fredrick— 
and I’ve seen what I’ve seen—so I sez to myself ‘ Molly 
O’Hara, what you thought at the time don’t match with 
what you hear now! ’ So I just pieced all together and 
I’ve got it clear. Doc. Heathcott says with the amount 
of whisky which yu told him yu gave the little daisy 
to kill the bite, she must have been dead gone, even 
though when it’s counteractin’ a poison it don’t show as 
a drunk, and she could have knowed nothing for hours 
and hours. She hadn’t begun to know when Doc. came 
—and then he said he gave her a dope as strong as he 
knew. What happened between yu and her I don’t pre¬ 
sume to guess, sir, but I heard her scream when I was 
in the passage, and I had seen that she was struck sur¬ 
prised when I’d called her Mrs. Delaval! and when I got 
up to her again, she was cryin’ her eyes out, hysteric 
like, so I sez to her ‘ You do love him, don’t you, dearie ?’ 
and she nodded her pretty head and smiled through 
them big tears, enough to touch the heart of a stone— 
she looked as pretty as a picture! And then the poor 
child, that could hardly stand on her feet, got up, and 
dolled herself up, and waited for you—and you just 
sent an attorney! Oh! I could have killed you, Mr. 
Delaval—when I knew it all! and when I saw her after 
yu’d gone she was as white as a lily, and only her pride 
kep’ her up. And yu, a great strong man, gettin’ angry 
with what a baby said when it was only half-sensible! 

14 


210 THE GREAT MOMENT 

Seems to me men is more fools than flappers—and 
brutes too! ” 

Bayard covered his face with his hands. Light had 
come to him, and with it an agony of remorse and 
shame of himself! 

Mrs. O’Hara rubbed it in. 

“ It was her screamin’ after I’d called her ‘ Mrs. 
Delaval,’ I ’spose, that angered yu! Why it was natural, 
seein’ she couldn’t have known she was married to yu, 
by what Doc. says. You don’t know girls—and she’s 
only a kiddie, even if she’s the daughter of the Dooks 
of England-poor little honey! Why, of course she 
screamed! Put y’rself in her place—see what she’d 
remember naturally, and see what she woke up to! 
Why, I’d ha’ screamed myself! ” 

Bayard wrung his hands in his anguish. But Mrs. 
O’Hara was speaking again, while she swung back¬ 
wards and forwards slowly. 

“ It’s the vanity of men! what they want, what they 
are—if some one has hurt their pride—never the poor 
little weak girlies! Oh! they get my goat! And that 
one just a bit of a baby, as simple as a flower and 
snuggled round all her life with folks, and teacher, 
and servants most likely. Why, you just took her and 
broke her heart, Mr. Delaval, on y’r own pride! ” 

“ Oh! My God! ” said Bayard brokenly. 

“ There’s no use in me paintin’ up things for you. 
You acted like a fool, sonnie! I know them English 
gentry—we’ve had ’em here among the miners—fine 
as muslin in their feelin’s, and proud as kings—and 
none of the horse-sense we’ve got. Yu couldn’t ha’ 
put over no stunts like you did, on the other peach— 


THE GREAT MOMENT 211 

Miss Bronson—but yu just broke up the orchard— 
you did! ” 

What Bayard was feeling could not be put into 
words. Suddenly the whole blank truth had come to him 
—and a madness of grief, a fury at his own blindness 
and vanity scourged him. 

The poor little darling girl—ill and suffering—and 
because he was hurt in his pride, he had failed almost 
in humanity! 

He started from his seat and strode down in to the 
open space in front of the hotel. He felt as though he 
must go out and smash something! 

Mrs. O’Hara looked after him with her wise kind 
eyes. 

“ It’ul do him good,” she said to herself. “ Men is 
darned set on themselves—the dears! ” and she smiled 
benevolently. 

Bayard could hardly control himself, the remorse 
he was suffering was so great. He could see the pathetic 
lithe body of his darling little sweetheart, as he took 
her back to the hotel, after the wedding ceremony—he 
could see her white small face, and tiny helpless hand 
when he put the wire hairpin ring on it! 

How was it possible that he had been such an infer¬ 
nal brute—and fool! Of course she screamed, if the 
last thing she could remember was his cutting her 
shoulder with the knife. 

It was the natural reaction, and he who had made 
a study of psychology ever since he left Harvard, had 
not had enough sense to apply it in his own case! He 
cursed himself! 

The whole thing was perfectly plain. In her half- 


212 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


unawakened state—he had but suggested terror of the 
knife! The real Nadine had been the one who had 
pressed her lips to his in the shack! 

The bitterness of his self-reproach brought scorch¬ 
ing tears to his grey eyes, as he strode there through the 
gap of the tents opposite the hotel, into the desert of 
sand and scrub. 

And now—where was she? Was her father still in 
the state of anger and contempt which he had been in, 
when he left? Who was protecting her and caring 
for her? And he, Bayard Delaval—ridiculous self- 
important hypocrite!—imagining he was behaving as 
the Knight Bayard because his vanity was wounded— 
had let this innocent child go out into the world with 
the echo of some scandal overshadowing her—with the 
scorn of her father—with a wound in her heart—with 
her beliefs broken—as they must be—and all because he 
—a grown man—had taken umbrage at her semi-con¬ 
scious want of response to himself! 

There are a number of swear words in the American 
vocabulary, and Bayard Delaval levelled them all at 
himself . 

How was it possible that a man could have been 
such a cursed imbecile—to call it by no worse name! 

And now—was it too late? Could he repair the 
hideous mistake ? How ? When and where ? 

Mr. Bronson had written several times to him stiffly 
in purely business fashion; but if he went to him, and 
explained the whole thing, surely he would help him, 
Bayard, to get in touch with the Pelhams again? But 
perhaps this brutal and shameful conduct had killed all 
Nadine’s love for him? Perhaps it was all too late? 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


213 


He would force himself to go through the penance of 
thinking out the whole thing from A to Z. He would 
settle his affairs at the mine, and he would then go in 
search of Nadine—and lay his infinite shame and re¬ 
pentance at her feet. 

But man proposes—and God (or is it woman?) 
disposes! 

In any case—a complication at the mine kept Bayard 
Delaval bound to the wheel of his work for two more 
weeks, because so many lives depended upon him, and 
during this time events were moving rapidly towards 
culmination in the fate of Nadine! 


CHAPTER XXIII 


M R. HOWARD B. HOPPER was not a man who 
hesitated in his actions. He, himself, was the 
only thing he lived for—and some subconscious sense 
prompted him to look after his own interests. What 
he proposed to do now was to dazzle the lovely little 
English peach with a demonstration of the extent of 
his wealth, and his devotion to her. 

So he decided he would give a fete in her honour 
which should show her that she would be taking on a 
man capable of the most lavish expansion. There was 
just one drawback to his happiness—there was Polly! 

Polly had her head screwed on. Alas, she not only 
loved him—of course . . . but took a keen interest in 
his cheque-book as well. Sometimes the one and some¬ 
times the other sentiment came uppermost in her. She 
lived in the street those ladies resided in—with their 
ultra respectable mothers—or aunts. Howard B. Hop¬ 
per was not mean —even if he were not heedlessly gener¬ 
ous. Polly had a “ home ” any young woman might 
be proud of—and a Pierce-Arrow car which she drove 
herself. She had everything she could want in the way 
of clothes too, and had just bought herself a new set 
of some outlandish cat fur, for the early autumn! Polly 
knew—and loved—and despised—Howard B. Hopper. 

“ Poppa,” she called him, because he was getting 
just the least bit bald. Polly began to hear of Mr. 
Hopper’s attention to the beautiful English girl, who 
was staying with some one on the British Mission. 

214 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


215 


Polly resented this. There was only one way of 
soothing her wounded feelings—and the sum must be 
large! 

Mr. Hopper had an office in Washington City, where 
he seldom went—since business was no longer a real 
necessity to him. It was merely to telephone and give 
his orders that he ever entered the gorgeously fitted suite. 
It was convenient to have an office though, he felt. 

Polly knew it very well. 

The report of the intended fete was in the papers 
of course. To spend the thousands of dollars Howard 
B. Hopper intended to spend on a party, would be 
absolutely useless unless every paper in America chroni¬ 
cled the fact! 

He was going to have the gardens of his reorganized 
palace lit too marvelously! He was going to have 
an old galley constructed to float on his miniature lake, 
where the guests could have supper—if they wanted 
to be en bande! Those who preferred a tete-a-tete could 
go in canoes, with a wonderfully arranged table put 
across each, with exquisitely subtle sandwiches and fruit, 
and plenty of champagne for two. 

Black swans would swim about, and white swans 
would draw miniature gondolas laden with cigarettes, 
and ether candies, and other sorts of dope! 

Nothing should be wanting which Nero might have 
ordered for one of his exotic nights! 

Russian dancers, with their own orchestra, were to 
come from New York, and dance in the tropical late 
August atmosphere, in white fur-trimmed garments, 
and then finish in a fall of imitation snow! The lake 
was but a pond in daylight—a large artificial pond, but 


216 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


by night it could be made to have a vast and gorgeous 
allure, as of Arabian night mystery—or a magician’s 
sea! 

“ Neptune ” (the best swimmer from Newport) 
should disport himself upon a rock, constructed in the 
middle of this ocean, and three of the champion swim¬ 
mers of America should entertain the guests as mer¬ 
maids ! 

What more could the love of man offer to the modern 
maiden! ! ! Nadine heard of this wonder being pre¬ 
pared for her the day before Mr. Howard B. Hopper 
actually broached her upon the subject! And the insidi¬ 
ous flattery of the broadcast magnificence of it went to 
her head! Here was some one willing to spend fabulous 
sums upon her pleasure—as a proof of his devotion. 
Some one who thought her perfect! Who was in sym¬ 
pathy with all those instincts in her being which expres¬ 
sed the things which that Pelham spirit, exemplified by 
her father, disapproved of. The warmest appreciation 
grew in her for this blatant admirer. 

Nadine was quite unaccustomed to champagne—or 
late hours—or flattery, and the insidious combination 
of the three, encompassing her each day in succession, 
was gradually having an effect upon that part of her 
nature which was primitive and gipsy. 

She was glorying in her conquest of the richest 
millionaire of the set of irresponsible young people, 
whom she had fraternized with. 

They were all talking about the wonderful fete, and 
Howard B. Hopper was letting her know every moment 
that it was being given for her ! 

Lady Crombie had written to Sir Edward Pelham— 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


217 


a plain statement of facts as far as she knew them. 
Whatever anger he could feel towards Mr. Delaval, it 
was perfectly ridiculously unjust to hold any resentment 
or impute any blame to Nadine! One might just as well 
accuse a Nun of using swear words when unconscious 
with gas while having a tooth drawn, as to accuse Nadine 
of light conduct when she was completely intoxicated 
from the quantity of whisky she had been forced to 
take, to prevent her from dying of rattlesnake bite! 
So Lady Crombie put it to the irate parent, and because 
he was a gentleman, and an honest man, he instantly 
recognized the justice of her argument, and asked him¬ 
self what he had better do about the whole thing? And 
then he began to think seriously—his mind awakened 
on one point, aided his true appreciation of others. What 
if—because she must have been completely tipsy— 
Nadine had acted as Nada used to act when completely 
sober, but in an excited mood. How had he—a sane 
Englishman contained himself in Petersburg in those 
old days? He had gone against every instinct of his 
family training, his family tradition, for hundreds of 
years, and given his honour and his name, the sacred 
name of Pelham, into the keeping of a wild Russian 
gipsy. What in heaven’s name had given him the right 
to be so censorious about the young American—who 
for all he knew positively, and for all he felt probably, 
had been tempted in the same way. 

He remembered Nadine’s face which he had seen 
when she was dancing with Bayard—looking up at the 
young man with every expression of voluptuous passion. 

. . . No, he had been unjust, now he could see that 
quite plainly. But the affair was finished—the young 


218 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


man had behaved absolutely as a gentleman should. The 
moment he had realized that Nadine had been uncon¬ 
scious, he had set the lenient Western Law in motion, 
and obtained an annulment of the marriage. But per¬ 
haps he had truly loved Nadine? Sir Edward remem¬ 
bered how boldly he had stood straight up and 
answered in the shack, and how eagerly he had desired to 
be the girl’s husband. 

It was not for her fortune. Sir Edward knew quite 
well that Bayard Delaval owned a share in the mine, 
and must soon be a very rich man. No, he must have 
loved Nadine. He had not been a namby-pamby weak¬ 
ling like Eustace, urged by other motives; he had been 
a man all through, and a gentleman. No whining and 
insinuation that anything had been Nadine’s fault. No 
suggestion that he had been tempted —he had just 
shouldered the whole business and with pride and joy 
taken the girl—because he loved her. 

The scene in the shack? Yes, but how had he 
behaved at the Grand Duke’s party upon much less 
cause? ... If Nadine was intoxicated—as Lady 
Crombie assured him, on the word of Miss Blenkensop, 
that she was, what man on earth could have resisted 
her blandishments ? 

Sir Edward suffered greatly. He had been unjust 
and unkind. He had insulted a gentleman who deserved 
every sympathy. And now what was to be done ? Noth¬ 
ing for the present. Only he would certainly take 
Nadine back with him to England. He would apologize 
and ask her to forget and forgive—and eventually, when 
she had had a season in London, she would meet some 
one suitable to her, and settle down among her own 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


219 


nation. And he—Edward Pelham—would offer a hum¬ 
ble apology to the young mining engineer, on the soonest 
possible occasion, when he returned from Canada. 

So he wrote to Lady Crombie—and said he under¬ 
stood, and would never again blame Nadine. He was 
leaving in about ten days for a fishing trip, but would 
come back in the middle of September, and if she would 
keep his child until then, everything all round would be 
forgotten and forgiven. It cost him something to write 
this letter, but he did not hesitate. 

Lady Crombie received it the very day before Mr. 
Howard B. Hopper’s magnificent party. 

Nadine was like a person drugged during all this 
time. 

The underneath real soul of her was sad and lonely. 
Constantly thinking of her love—for she loved Bayard 
Delaval truly and really. And the outside self—with 
every gipsy instinct in the ascendant—welcomed the 
narcotic of pleasure and incense to her vanity in the 
attentions of the blatant, incredibly vulgar, multi¬ 
millionaire. 

But the mills of fate were grinding—and soon some 
results would show. 

The marriage of Eustace and Sadie had taken place 
as soon as Sadie could have what she considered a 
suitable wedding. 

Eustace had declared his feelings on the return jour¬ 
ney east, and Sadie had condescended to accept him— 
to console him for the shock to his finer emotions which 
the Nadine-Bayard affair must have given him! But 
she had not forgotten in her jolly good, practical heart, 
that she meant to find out what was the real truth of 


220 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


that happening. . . . When once an engagement ring 
was safely upon her own hand! 

By tactful and insidious questioning of Eustace, she 
elicited a description of what he had seen at the shack, 
and got from him that his impression was, that cer¬ 
tainly it was possible that the whisky had made Nadine 
so tipsy that she played the devil with Bayard. 

“ You and I know perfectly well, Sadie, that Nadine 
was awfully gone on Delaval all along. If I had not 
been so fearfully attracted by you, darling, I would have 
been jealous.” 

In an instant Sadie’s clear brain had fathomed the 
truth. 

Nadine was tipsy. She showed her real feelings. 
Sir Edward was shocked—and insisted upon a marriage 
taking place. Why they had parted after, was still 
a mystery to both Sadie and Eustace. But that spirit 
of fair play made Sadie write to her father, and tell 
him the story as far as she knew it, for she was aware 
that her father had liked and respected Bayard Delaval 
and would be glad to have him cleared in his mind. So 
the letter went, and became an instrument of fate—as 
so often little unimportant trifles prove to be in the lives 
of all human beings. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


npHE day before Mr. Hopper’s magnificent fete, Lady 

Crombie’s uneasiness had become so great in regard 
to the way Nadine was drifting along, that on receipt 
of Sir Edward’s letter, she had sent him a telegram 
just saying that it was quite necessary that he should 
come to Washington immediately, before going off to 
his fishing trip—and in her heart she hoped that he 
would arrive by an afternoon train the following day, 
perhaps in time to use his influence with Nadine not 
to attend the party—she felt that the child would no 
longer pay any attention to orders. The wildest rumours 
had gone abroad about the entertainment. Lady 
Crombie found herself in a very awkward position. 
Nadine was her guest. She had originally been responsi¬ 
ble for her meeting the set she had now become sur¬ 
rounded with, and she was in a touchy and excitable 
state, ready, so to speak, to kick over traces. Lady 
Crombie felt that if she spoke to her, she might walk 
out of the house, and go and stay with one or other of 
the new friends, which would be disastrous. The poor 
lady had no one to confide in after Miss Blenkensop had 
sailed for England—and the responsibility was growing 
more than she could bear. 

When she had told Nadine that Eustace and Sadie 
were coming in about a week, Nadine had gone into a 
fit of laughter. Everything seemed unbalanced about 
her. “ Oh, what a retribution for Eustace,” she said. 
“ Sadie is a pet, but he will have to obey her like a 

221 


222 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


dog. He won’t have an easy time as he would have 
had with me. But every one to his taste—and in this 
country, thank goodness, it is the girls who rule.” 

“ Do you think so always, dear? I—wonder.” 

Nadine fell into silence—she had suddenly remem¬ 
bered Bayard, and Montrose’s love song. . . . No— 
there was a man no woman could rule—and the same 
strange quiver of longing for him came over her. Then 
she got up abruptly and went out of the room. 

Poor little bruised heart! 

Blenkie’s going had troubled her for a day or so. 
It felt as if the last link with the past had been removed 
She was absolutely free now, and intended to remain so. 

“ You’ll love going back to that stuffy old Pelham, 
Blenkie,” she had laughed when they had said good¬ 
bye. “ Thank goodness, it is not me.” 

“ Nadine, it is your home, dear—you belong to it, 
and it belongs to you,” was all Miss Blenkensop replied 
with dignity—and the words sunk into Nadine’s mind. 

Sir Edward had most handsomely pensioned the 
faithful governess, and given her a very charming old 
house close to the park gates at Pelham—where the 
worthy creature could continue her charitable activities, 
and look after the many lady-bountiful interests which 
Nadine was too young as yet to have put upon her 
shoulders—even if she should ever return to live there— 
which sometimes Blenkie doubted. For a strange sullen 
spirit ruled the child, which Blenkie could not have 
believed had lain there, well as she knew her. 

“ I am afraid, dear Lady Crombie, that Sir Edward’s 
and my bringing up of Nadine has not been very success- 


THE GREAT MOMENT 223 

ful,” she said the day she left. “ I feel that we did not 
make sufficient allowances for the heredity in her.” 

“ I always thought so, Miss Blenkensop, from long 
ago when she was eleven—you were both too stern 
and suppressing. A nature like Nadine’s can only be 
ruled through her emotions.” 

Miss Blenkensop sighed. 

“ I tremble to think what may become of her.” 

“ So do I,” and the two ladies had then fallen into 
silence. 

While Lady Crombie was dispatching her telegram, 
Nadine was contemplating the dress she meant to wear 
at the Hopper fete—a clinging thing of marvellous silver 
and diamante embroideries—with a wide band of dia¬ 
mante for her hair. Far, far too old and unsuitable for 
her childish figure, but very becoming. All the garments 
which she had bought were on the side of being outre — 
and a desire to dazzle and be a little eccentric had arisen 
in her. 

Numbers of the young men felt that they were “ just 
crazy ” about her, but Howard B. Hopper’s pursuit 
was so persistent, that no one else had had a chance. 

At a theatre and supper party the night before the 
fete, he asked Nadine to marry him. Nadine laughed. 
It made her nervous—and it flattered her immensely. 
She had developed the art of repartee now though, 
and gave him no definite answer. He assured her that 
he adored her, that she was just the most perfect thing 
God ever made, and that there would not be a caprice 
in this world of hers which he would not gratify. 

He tried to take her hand in the automobile, coming 
back to the Crombies’ residence—but this Nadine would 


224 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


not allow. She had some strange dislike to being 
touched, and had not yet acquired the familiar boy and 
girl manners of her friends. Some queer thought of 
Bayard always came when any of the young men held 
her tight, when they danced, or showed any signs of 
beginning to make love to her. Some feeling that she 
still belonged to him—and must never have anyone but 
him. Then she would check herself, and try to be as 
charming as possible. 

When she was alone in her sitting-room, having said 
a hurried good-night to Mr. Hopper at about two in 
the morning, she asked herself what she should do? 
It was wonderful having a proposal of marriage, and 
what fun to be able to do exactly what she liked for 
the rest of her life! But—there were many buts— 
which she would not face. Nadine was by no means 
a heroine, and had now come to a stage in her life when 
she could very easily take the wrong turning. Bayard 
had once told her that some day she might give herself 
a surprise—and to-night she remembered that he had 
said this, and felt that it was true. 

Even though the marriage was annulled, she had 
always some underneath feeling that she was waiting 
for something else further to happen about it. She had 
come to the conclusion, from things she had gathered 
from Blenkie, that her father had been very shocked 
because she was alone with Bayard for half the night 
—and that is why he had either consented to, or insisted 
upon, the marriage. She had lost the idea that Bayard 
was to blame. It was all completely mysterious and she 
could not explain it, however she pondered over it. He 
could not really have loved her, that was evident. Here 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


225 


was a man who did love her—and if she could not have 
her ideal, it was surely wiser to take what was going to 
give her everything else that could divert and delight her! 
But Hopper—whew! that was a dreadful name— 
“ Nadine Hopper.” 

She gave a nervous little laugh. All her new friends 
envied her the admiration of the millionaire, so that 
was in his favour. Human beings always value more 
highly that which others want, and Nadine was not 
peculiar in this particular. 

“ Well, I need not decide yet,” she told herself at 
last; “ but I suppose I had better take him. I wish he 
was not going bald. Bayard had such thick—-Oh! I 
must not, must not, think of him! ” 

One of the first things she had done in Gold Stamp 
was to have her films developed of the photographs 
that she had taken on the train—and it had been almost 
a shock to her to find that Bayard's face came out, not 
the squaw's, when she was snapping them on the plat¬ 
form at Albuquerque. She had looked at it—and kissed 
it—and then put it away between the leaves of The 
Story of Bayard —she must never waste a thought on 
either again—both had failed her lamentably. There 
were no perfect knights now, and the sight of the book 
only hurt her. But as she reasoned with herself about 
Howard B. Hopper, the strongest desire came over her 
to look at the photograph of Bayard once more. She 
resisted this, and in an evil mood undressed and went 
to bed. 

When Mr. Bronson received Sadie's letter he was at 
San Francisco. It caused him much relief, and it made 
15 


226 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


him decide that he would go on to Gold Stamp again for 
a day before he joined his daughter and son-in-law in 
Washington—where Eustace had most unexpectedly 
been transferred from Rome. He felt very glad that 
he could think better of his Chief Mining Engineer. 

The two men only met though when Mr. Bronson 
would be leaving in an hour or two for the East— 
because Bayard had not been able to come in from the 
mine earlier. 

They greeted one another, and Bayard noticed that 
his old friend seemed more cordial than he expected 
him ever to be again. 

When they had finished talking of their mutual 
interest—the mine—there was a silence. Mr. Bronson 
puffed his cigar. 

“ I would be very glad to hear the truth of that 
strange marriage of yours, Delaval,” he said after a 
moment. “ Not from idle curiosity, but so as I shan’t 
do any injustice in my mind to either of you.” 

“ I wanted to see you about it, Mr. Bronson,” 
Bayard answered almost eagerly. “ I behaved like the 
most infernal blockhead.” 

Mr. Bronson raised his eyebrows inquiringly. 

“We had all noticed that you had a crush on each 
other,” he remarked. 

Then Bayard went on: 

“ It was more than that. I loved Nadine with my 
whole heart, and I believed she loved me. We had just 
dismounted for a minute to look at the view from the 
Golden Canyon—when the snake nearly finished her. 
I cut her shoulder with my knife, and that scared her to 
death—before she fainted. All her shirt waist got torn 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


227 


in doing that, and I carried her to a shack I built up 
there, that I work in sometimes. I gave her a whole 
tumbler full of whisky and she slept for hours. Then 
I gave her some more when she woke up. She seemed 
all right, a little excited perhaps. She said she liked 
me and would stay with me always, and then when 
I went out to look and see if help was coming she put 
the record on the Victrola and began to dance.” Bayard’s 
voice hesitated now and went on in a lower key. “ Mr. 
Bronson—she was fascinating beyond anything you 
can imagine—and I do not know how it occurred— 
but I had at last just bent to kiss her, when Sir Edward 
and Eustace Pelham came in. I know I should not 
have given way to temptation—I have no excuse to offer 
—there was no wickedness in it, just a kiss—but of 
course to come in on the Victrola going, and her dis¬ 
ordered appearance—and—and Well, Sir Edward 

naturally thought the worst, because as she had been 
dancing, he did not believe the snake had harmed her 
much. I do not blame him for his attitude—it was just 
all darned hard luck. We went right back to the Justice 
of the Peace, all of us together—and Nadine seemed 
very quiet, and perhaps a little dazed, but repeated the 
words in the ceremony quite correctly. I did not have 
any idea that she was still under the effects of the 
whisky. I took her back to the hotel, and you all went 
away. Doctor Heathcott came and gave her a strong 
dope—I did not know this would only add to the 
confusion of her memory. When she woke up, and 
I expected to see her happy and loving as she had been 

in the shack-My God, Mr. Bronson, the shock was 

awful when she screamed with fear of me, and I found 




228 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


that she had not known anything that had happened 
since I cut her shoulder with the knife. She reproached 
me in horror when the landlady called her ‘Mrs. Delaval’ 
and I told her we were married. And it just staggered 
me. So I rushed out not to lose a moment for the 
annulment, and as soon as I explained that Miss Pelham 
was unconscious, and we none of us knew it, and that 
now she was awake, and she must have the marriage 
annulled, they quite got it—and of course pulled every 
string of the law for me.” Bayard’s voice as he stopped 
speaking gave Mr. Bronson the idea that this was only 
half of what he had to say—and that the rest was diffi¬ 
cult for him to express. So he waited quietly, and at 
last said: 

“ Well, boy? ” 

Bayard clenched his hands. 

“ Well—I believe now she only acted in that way 
because she was not quite awake and her last memory 
of me was my cutting her shoulder—and—and—that 
the real girl was fond of me; but I was too mad at 
the time, and sent the application for annulment for 
her to sign, when she was waiting for me to come back 
to her. She was stung, of course, and signed, and we 
never saw each other again. I think I behaved like an 
awful fool, and brute.” 

“You love her still?” Mr. Bronson’s voice was 
grave. 

“ More than ever.” 

“ What do you mean to do about it? ” 

“ I want to go as soon as I can, and try to see her, 
wherever she is, and see if I cannot win back her affec¬ 
tion again—at all events, even if that is lost for good 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


229 


and all—I would like to have an explanation with her.” 

“ She is in Washington with Lady Crombie, a family 
friend of theirs, who is over with her husband on the 
British Mission. When can you go East? ” 

“ I have got to be in Rockers Point to-morrow—to 
investigate the new claim the Corporation has taken 
on, as you know, sir. I cannot possibly do it under a 
fortnight’s hardest work.” 

“ Well, come then boy, and join me at the Willard. 
My daughter and her husband, Eustace Pelham, will 
be there by then, and I know Sadie will do everything 
she can for you.” 

Then they wrung each other’s hands, and Mr. Bron¬ 
son took his train to Los Angeles, and Bayard went 
back to the mine, comforted. But a good, deal can 
happen in two weeks. 


CHAPTER XXV 


N ADINE was very pleased with her appearance 
when Augustine put the finishing touches to her 
hair and the high diamante band in the form of a tiara; 
she said to herself: 

“Of course, if I marry Mr. Hopper ” (she never 
even thought of him as “ Howard ”), “ the first thing 
he must give me must be a real diamond one exactly the 
same shape! ” 

This idea exalted her—jewels, glitter, just as it 
would have exalted her mother—and made her feel 
very favourably disposed towards the millionaire. She 
put her cloak round her before she left her room because 
she knew Lady Crombie would not approve of her gar¬ 
ment. She would be up dressing for dinner, she hoped, 
and she gave Augustine a sweet message to deliver 
saying she was so late she had to rush off without 
running in to see her! 

Then she crept down the stairs like a mouse and to 
the waiting automobile, which Mr. Hopper had sent 
for her. 

The house the Crombies had taken was a fine one, 
with a stately hall and magnificent staircase, which 
divided each way to the gallery above. Nadine would 
have liked to have walked slowly down the broad steps, 
and allowed the little tail of train, which fell from one 
side of her draperies, to have swept behind her, but 
discretion held her. To get off in safety was the main 
thing! 

230 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


231 


Just as she reached the outer hall, and the footman 
was opening the door for her, Lord Crombie came in. 
He had been detained at the conference very late. 

“What a lovely lady! ” he said, and bowed in a 
courtly way as he offered her his arm to lead her down 
the steps; but there was a whimsical twinkle in his eyes 
which Nadine did not like, it made her very uncomfort¬ 
able. Although she was not very fine of perception, 
she knew that it meant that her host found her a little 
ridiculous! His manner of offering her his arm was 
one he would have employed to an elderly Duchess! 

Her blue eyes flashed, she threw a kiss from her 
finger-tips as the car moved off—her red lips pouting, 
and a world of challenge in her whole expression. 

“ It looks as though there might be the devil to pay 
to-night,” Lord Crombie mused as he entered the house; 
and if old James, the groom, had been there he would 
have said: 

“ Wind in its tail—wind in*its tail! ” 

A sense of rebellion was in Nadine’s whole being, 
and yet underneath an uncomfortable feeling that there 
was something that she would not face. She was fond 
of the Crombies and could not force herself to be 
indifferent to their opinion of her. 

But everything was forgotten in the rapturous greet¬ 
ing the host gave her on her arrival at the Hopper 
Palace, accompanied by one of her new friends, Adala 
Meeking, who had been divorced twice and married for 
the third time, while yet not twenty-seven years old; 
and whom Lady Crombie did not consider an ideal 
chaperone. Nadine had called for her on the way. 


232 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Why this is just fine,” Mr. Hopper said, and with 
possessive cordiality took Nadine’s arm to lead her in. 
When he touched her the same queer sense of resent¬ 
ment came up in her, just as it had done years before 
when she was a child, and Prince Kurousov had picked 
her up in his arms. A fierceness filled her eyes—which 
Mr. Howard B. Hopper found absolutely delightful. 

“ Good night! ” he said to himself, “ Some girl! ” 
The gorgeous house was a bower of roses, and as the 
cocktails had already been twice round, the guests were 
in the gayest of moods. There seemed only to have 
been the one thing wanting to complete every one’s 
felicity, and that was Nadine’s arrival! Of course 
she meant to accept him, Mr. Hopper felt, and wouldn’t 
they make things hum when once she was Mrs. Howard 
B.! The party now filed into the gorgeous ban¬ 
queting hall of pale-green marble, which had been 
built on to the old house. Fountains played in the 
centre, and the tables were grouped round it, with statues 
of ice cupids with lights inside them, to keep the atmos¬ 
phere cool—quite needed as the champagne was to flow 
in rivers during the whole evening! 

Nadine felt deliciously excited. She did not as yet 
take cocktails because they made her head ache when 
she had tried them, and smoking made her absolutely 
sick; but she meant to overcome her aversion to both 
things, because it was so dull to be behind the times! 
Only she would not make the experiment to-night, as 
she wanted to enjoy every moment of this wonder show! 
To be the acknowledged Queen of such a fete would 
have gone to the head of any girl of eighteen and a half 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


233 


years old whose heart was sore, and whose vanity had 
been hurt, and with Nadine’s hereditary instincts the 
whole thing had a strong effect upon her! 

She had learned not to be shy, and to keep up the 
ball of continual chaff, so she was able to scream with 
joy when each lady opened her table napkin, and a white 
dove flew up from it, some perching upon the heads 
of the company, they were so tame; others flying to 
the top of the vaulted roof, where climbing rose trees 
had been arranged to grow! 

A very exotic Eastern scent was mingled with the 
water of the fountains, and countless black waiters 
dressed in gorgeous Eastern costumes dispensed the 
over-rich food! 

“ We’ll show them how, in your country some day! ” 
Mr. Hopper said during the banquet. “ Gee! that will 
make me proud when I can see ‘ Mrs. Howard B. 
Hopper, nee Miss Nadine Pelham,’ in print! ” 

“ But I have not said that I will marry you, Mr. 
Hopper!” Nadine answered as archly as she could; 
something in her had resented his tone of assurance. 

He was not the least abashed. 

“ Well, I mean to go on asking you until you accept 
me. I’m like the undertaker—I’ll get you in the end! ” 

Nadine gave a little shiver. Mr. Hopper’s style of 
wit was not quite what she could have desired, but she 
must not be so critical. It was “ Pelmanish ” to be 
critical, and she was going to get away from all those 
old influences, so she laughed instead of wincing, as 
she would have winced six months before, and spurred 
herself on to more daring gaiety. 


234 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


* * * * * 

By the time that the Crombies had finished their 
solitary dinner, and were beginning to think of bed, 
and to wonder if Lady Crombie’s wire to their old 
friend had ever reached him, Sir Edward himself 
turned up! He had come by the first train he was able 
to catch. 

“ Well, what is it ? ” he asked when they had greeted 
him. “ About Nadine, of course! ” 

“ Yes,” said Lady Crombie rather diffidently. “ The 
child has somehow slipped into the wrong set here, and 
is getting herself rather talked about—and I—felt I 
would prefer that you were on the spot, as the responsi¬ 
bility is too great.” 

Sir Edward paled. Was the girl and her tempera¬ 
ment going to prove a menace for all her life? “ I 
shall take her back to England with me at once, Viola; 
she must have got completely out of hand.” 

Here Lord Crombie interposed: 

“ My dear Ned, you will not be able to do any order¬ 
ing, I fear. You may be able to coax her to return 
with you, but the ordeal through which she has passed 
has left its mark upon the child’s spirit in no small 
degree, and that is why she takes pleasure in these 
feather-brains here; it is to kill remembrance, I am 
sure—not from any bad impulse.” 

“ I will not have the name of Pelham further dis¬ 
graced,” and an iron look came round Sir Edward’s 
mouth. But Lady Crombie wondered to herself how 
he would be able to prevent it! 

“ Where is she this evening? ” the troubled man 
asked after a little more conversation. 

“ At a fete given by one of the most impossible 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


235 


bounders in Washington,” Lord Crombie answered, “ at 
his palatial ‘ home.’ You may remember the house with 
the beautiful garden which used to belong to these 
delightful Lees when we were here as younger secre¬ 
taries, Ned? Well, a certain Hopper—Howard B. 
Hopper—bought it from them, and has turned it into 
a palace.” 

“ Nadine goes off without consulting you—her 
hosts! What can have come to the girl! ” Sir Edward 
exclaimed. 

“ I feel that it is my fault,” Lady Crombie inter¬ 
posed. “ By an unlucky chance she met all these giddy 
young people the first night that we went out, and they 
have clung to her like leeches ever since, and of course 
they are youthful and probably amusing after her quiet 
life.” 

“ I hear the bounder makes tremendous advances 
to Nadine,” and Lord Crombie sank into an arm-chair, 
they had all been standing hitherto. “ But I don’t sup¬ 
pose she would think of him seriously, would she, 
Viola?” 

“Of course not! What an absurd idea? ” but Lady 
Crombie’s voice faltered a little on the last word. What 
if Nadine should be contemplating this dreadful thing? 
“ There seems nothing to be done to-night and Ned 
must be famished. Ah! that is good news! ” as at that 
moment the butler announced that supper for Sir 
Edward was ready. 

* * * * 

Meanwhile the banquet at Mr. Howard B. Hopper’s 
mansion was drawing to a close, and new enchantments 
would soon begin. The couples had been dancing 


236 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


between each course, and so the feast had lasted from 
eight until eleven in the marble hall, and now a new 
phase would present itself! 

Mr. Hopper had taken enough of various spirits 
to be thoroughly confident; but drunk or sober, his sense 
of self-preservation never slept, and it now warned him 
that he must be fairly patient, and not go too far in his 
pursuit of the little English girl. 

Nadine had had two glasses of champagne and was 
outwardly in the wildest spirits, but deep down in her 
heart there was a weight of lead. That strange depres¬ 
sion which seems to cause a sinking even underneath 
great excitement. 

She felt that she was being rushed along down a 
mill-race, and that there was some awful abyss ahead, 
but that she must laugh and be gayer than she had ever 
been. The scarlet flush was in her olive-ivory cheeks 
and her eyes were bright as stars. She chaffed and 
fenced with her assiduous host, and with all the other 
young men—she had never been so dazzlingly alluring. 

“ Some girl,” they all felt! 

Mr. Hopper had grown more and more familiar, he 
called her “ honey ” as they danced, and “ sweetie ” 
and “ cutie ”—which Nadine pretended not to hear; 
and now the moment had come for going into the garden 
where the most exciting part of the whole entertain¬ 
ment was to take place. 

It was one of those intensely hot still nights, the 
31 st of August. The sky was inky black and far away 
in the distance there were faint rumbles of thunder. 
But the darkness of heaven only helped to render more 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


237 


brilliant the effect of the myriads of electric lamps which 
turned the lake into a sheen of silver and ruby, and 
green and gold. 

“ Oh! how divine! ” cried Nadine as the party came 
down from the terrace towards it. “ Oh, you wonder¬ 
ful man! ” 

And as Howard B. Hopper rather lurched towards 
her, he felt that his reward would not be long delayed! 


CHAPTER XXVI 


I T truly was a marvellous scene which met their view. 

The great galley moored to the bank might have 
belonged to a doge, and the little canoes looked tempting 
if very frail craft, and the mermaids swam about show¬ 
ing their glittering fish's tails, their long hair, entwined 
with water-lillies, and wreathed with shells, flowed over 
their nude backs. Neptune, enthroned majestically upon 
his pointed rock in the centre, brandished his trident. 
While the white swans, rather frightened, swam rapidly 
up and down, drawing their miniature gondolas, and 
the black ones retired to a corner in stately disgust! 

At the end where the marble steps descended into 
the water, a regular bower of roses had been constructed 
amidst the marble pillars making a kind of stage, and 
here the Russians would dance later—their own musi¬ 
cians grouped upon the steps. 

The more sedate of the guests, and those who were 
not too sure of their equilibrium, flocked into the galley, 
or state barge, where no danger of an impromptu bath 
need worry them! but the adventurous spirits clamoured 
to embark in the canoes, and about a dozen pairs got off 
safely, launched by Venetian gondoliers. 

“ Watch your step, folks! ” shouted the host, “ or 
old Neptune’ll sure claim you! ” and there were feminine 
shrieks of anticipation, as the partners made the canoes 
rock? 

Nadine was quivering with excitement when Mr. 
Hopper led her down the steps and to the canoe destined 
238 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


239 


for them, and when she was seated she seemed the very 
spirit of the feast. The lights caught her high diamante 
tiara making it a stream of fire—and her mother’s face 
had never looked more fierce and untamed. 

Mr. Hopper was triumphant. 

He paddled the canoe to the other end of the lake— 
a distance of not more than forty yards perhaps—and 
then let it drift. A wonderful band, hidden beyond the 
trees, played inspiriting music, which mingled with the 
gay shrieks of the girls in the canoes, and the low rum¬ 
bles of thunder in the distance, which however seemed 
to be coming nearer. An electric tension was in the air 
—every one was wild—and some intoxicated as well. 
Mr. Hopper poured out champagne for Nadine and 
handed her the glass. 

“ Drink to the day when you’re mine, Peachy!” 
he said, and swallowed his down! The strange feeling 
of sinking and emptiness was growing in Nadine—she 
was not quite sure what was going to happen—whether 
she should shriek aloud with laughter, like the other 
girls, or faint. So she took the glass and drank it. 

“ Here is to life,” she said. “ And love,” Mr. 
Hopper added, pouring out a second glass for himself. 
Nadine laughed hysterically, and rocked the canoe, very 
nearly upsetting them! 

“ Say, gurl! ” Mr. Hopper called to a mermaid 
who was swimming near, “ Stand by to catch us! ” and 
he emptied another bottle of champagne over her shell- 
wreathed head, and into her open mouth, to the delight 
of the guests who were near! 

Then from the bower at the end of the lake, the 
Russian dancers emerged, lovely girls in pale blue velvet 


240 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


dresses all trimmed with white fur, and high yellow 
boots. The musicians took their places on the marble 
steps, the other band stopped and new wild sounds began 
and the dancers stamped and cried aloud as they whirled 
around. 

With the very first notes Nadine stiffened, and when 
“ The Red Sara fane ” wove itself into the rhythm, elec¬ 
tric thrills ran through her, and she lost all sense of time 
and place. 

“ Oh, the dear Russian music! ” she cried, beating 
time with her fan, then starting up suddenly in the 
rocking canoe. “ Who’ll dance with me? ” she called, 
and with a bound she was on the frail little table which 
separated her from Mr. Hopper, and kicking off the 
dish of sandwiches, and the bottles, and glasses and 
plates, she began to dance some steps. The canoe rocked 
violently, and a loud clap of thunder drowned even the 
roar of applause. Then with a wild whoop, excited 
beyond any consideration, Nadine made a beautiful dive 
into the lake, capsizing the canoe and its other occupant 
as she leaped! 

Yells of delight greeted this feat! and she began 
to swim rapidly towards the steps to join the Russians, 
the mermaids following her, while a spot light fixed 
in a tree kept a golden glitter upon her diamante band! 

The entire party now were shouting with frenzied 
glee and excitement, and as she passed the great barge, 
a young Russian guest dived in and followed her! 

Mr. Hopper, quite unprepared for his ducking, sank 
to the bottom of the lake, and swallowed muddy water 
before he could strike out for safety! 

There was Neptune’s rock not so far away! and he 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


241 


made for that, a spluttering, draggled, dripping object, 
the bald patch on his head shining white in the lights, 
when the immersion had swept back the carefully- 
arranged hair. 

“ Gowd—my pearl stud! ” he gasped in terror, but 
being a fine swimmer he was able to use one hand, 
and pulled the stud out of his shirt front, and put 
it in his mouth—then he swam to the rock. 

“ You return to your element, father 1 ” he ordered 
Neptune, “ and give me your throne,” and when the 
obedient god had plunged into the water, Howard B. 
Hopper hung on to the rock, waving one arm excitedly 
as he cheered Nadine on, his words rather incoherent 
because of the monster pearl still in his mouth! This 
was the sort of wife he wanted! Gee! she had put over 
a great stunt! Meanwhile, the Russian dancers, mad with 
excitement, were executing marvellous steps—and the 
imitation snow had begun to fall in countless flakes upon 
them, from a captive balloon, as Nadine, well ahead of 
her train of mermaids, and her Russian follower, 
reached the steps, and walked up out of the water. Her 
dress, clinging enough when dry, was now but a skin 
over her slender body. Her crisp curly hair, a little 
deranged by the plunge, was not however draggled, and 
the diamante band had kept firmly in its place. With 
an air of supreme insolent assurance she walked up to 
the eager young men who had rushed from the barge to 
meet her. But she waved them all aside. 

“I’ll only dance with him who had the pluck to 
follow me,” she cried, and the young Russian emerging 
from the water now sprang to her side. 

The dancing girls made way for them, the musicians 
16 


242 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


banged their instruments, and amidst thunder claps and 
lightning, and shrieks and shouts of joy, the pair 
stamped and writhed and twirled beneath the falling 
snow! until Nadine fell almost exhausted into the young 
man’s waiting arms. 

* * * * * 

It was no wonder that the papers next day con¬ 

tained blazing headlines concerning this party 1 

“ Daughter of English Baronet plunges into lake at 
‘ Poppa ’ Hopper’s orgie.” 

“ Daring dive from canoe by English aristocrat, 
daughter of Sir Edward Pelham ”—etc., etc., and others 
more extravagant still! 

Mr. Hopper had applauded ecstatically from Nep¬ 
tune’s rock, and then had scrambled into a humble 
dinghy sent to fetch him, and he had insisted upon 
Nadine’s returning to the house and taking immediately 
a hot bath when at last the crazy dance ended. Her 
friend, Mrs. Meeking, accompanied her, and a rabble 
of admirers followed. They only arrived on the veranda 
when torrents of rain burst, and crashing thunder rent 
the air, while blue lightning terrified the stampeded 
guests, who were only too glad to shelter in the marble 
hall again, and imbibe tumblers of hot punch! 

But once the dance finished, all bravado had deserted 
Nadine, and she was glad to retire alone upstairs to the 
magnificent bedroom suite. 

“ This is for you—if I have to wait till the cows 
come home,” Mr. Hopper told her, and then he left 
her to Mrs. Meeking, and a couple of maids, to whom 
he whispered husky instructions. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


243 


There was an ermine cloak which he had bought a 
bargain at a summer price, and had intended to give 
to Polly just before Nadine came upon the scene. Then 
he changed his mind, and it had stayed in a drawer. 
It should be brought out now, and a suit of his best 
silk pajamas as well, and a new pair of bedroom slippers, 
and they should all be offered to her instead of her own 
dripping clothes! 

Mrs. Meeking accepted for her, and hustled her into 
the alabaster bathroom, and began with the help of 
one maid to undress her, while the second maid poured 
a whole bottle of Mr. Hopper’s own exotic scent into 
the bath! 

“ Don’t lock the door, honey,” Mrs. Meeking 
advised, when the dress was off, and Nadine could 
.manage alone. “ In case you should feel faint I’ll wait 
here in the bedroom with the maids, and you just sing 
out when you want us! ” 

So a little shrinking girl at last stepped down into 
the hot water, and lay there and tried to think, but the 
scent revolted her, though she was still too numbed 
by the champagne and the excitement to have any sense 
of values. She only felt that the water was comforting 
her, and that she was half-asleep. 

“ You’re sure you are all right? ” Mrs. Meeking’s 
shrill kindly voice called presently, and roused her, and 
she came back to reality and left the bath. 

Then she was made to drink a tumbler of punch 
when she got into the bedroom wrapped in a great 
sponge-cloth peignoir, which had been warming on the 
hot pipes while she bathed. 

“ And see what your devoted beau has sent for 


244 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


you to wear! ” Adala Meeking said, displaying the 
ermine wrap, and the pajamas. “ If you don’t think 
this is cute! ” 

So it was in this guise—her tiny feet thrust into the 
big slippers, and her slender body lost in the pink silk 
pajamas, and swathed in the ermine cloak which had 
been destined for Mr. Hopper’s mistress!—that Nadine 
—daughter of that long line of Pelhams—returned to 
the Crombies’ roof! 

Mr. Hopper and Mrs. Meeking accompanied her, and 
held her between them, because the punch had made 
her fall off to sleep as they drove. 

She awakened with a start—and was just conscious 
enough to be aware that it was fortunate that her latch¬ 
key had remained in her own cloak’s pocket and was 
not at the bottom of the lake! and that no servant would 
see her creep up to bed. She said good-night very quietly, 
too worn out to struggle, when her whilom host put his 
arm round her to lead her up the steps. And at last 
she was alone in her room, and soon in bed; but just 
before she turned out the light, her eye caught The 
Story of Bayard on the table, and she burst into a passion 
of tears. Oh, what would Bayard think of her, had he 
been there to-night! 


CHAPTER XXVII 


N ADINE'S awakening on that first day of Septem¬ 
ber was heavy as lead and just as her eyes had 
alighted upon a man's clothes upon that other occasion 
in her life, when a strange adventure had befallen her, 
so now they lit on Mr. Howard B. Hopper’s pink silk 
pajamas hanging over a chair! 

She bounded up—of all things Augustine must not 
see these! She rolled them into a bundle and thrust 
them into an unused drawer in a cabinet. Then out of 
bravado she stood up defiantly and looked at herself 
in the glass. Her blue eyes were haggard and her cheeks 
pale—“ I think I must have been crazy last night—or 
tipsy," she moaned to herself, and sprang back into bed. 
She had never felt more wretched in all her life. 
Augustine came in presently with a cup of tea, her 
face a mask. Augustine loved her little mistress, and 
looked upon all she did with a lenient eye; but she 

had read the papers—and well-! After all, 

Mademoiselle Pelham—was an aristocrat!—and ladies 
did not generally make scandals like this! 

Defiance once more entered Nadine’s spirit! If her 
maid even showed disapproval, what could she expect 
from the Crombies—when she came down! 

She put on a jaunty air—ordered her bath, and said 
she would have her hair done in a new way, and would 
try on a perfectly gorgeous tea-gown that she had 
bought—suitable to a woman of forty—and some new 
shoes with ridiculous heels—and then she went into 

245 



246 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


the bathroom humming a tune—until she stopped 
abruptly, becoming conscious that it was “ The Red 
Sarafane! ” 

She got into the bath and lay there and thought. 
Why had this particular air such an effect upon her ? It 
seemed mixed in her destiny—What was destiny, any¬ 
way?—Could'one change it? or was one just a puppet 
rolled hither and thither ? 

A cynical mood came at last, and the worst side of 
her nature was in ascendance when she rejoined Augus¬ 
tine in the bedroom. Her breakfast had come up now 
•—and with it—the papers! They lay on a table beside 
the sofa in her sitting-room. She had her hair done 
first, and slipped into the gorgeous robe before she 
glanced at them. Then when she read the headlines, a 
brilliant scarlet flush came into her pale cheeks, and her 
eyes flashed savagely. All trace of Pelham seemed to 
have left her, and Nada, the gipsy, sat there crouched up 
in the pillows. Augustine was in the bedroom arrang¬ 
ing the dressing-table. Nadine looked at her uncom¬ 
promising back through the archway and gave a bitter 
laugh. Then she flung the journals down, and picking 
up two little Chinese fans she popped them into her hair 
like Spanish combs, and jumping up, began to dance in 
front of a long mirror. 

“ I have burned my ships now,” she said to herself 
defiantly, “ and what do I care! ” 

It is unpleasant to have to act bravado for the benefit 
of others, but truly painful when it must be done for 
oneself! The queer, empty, sinking feeling pervaded 
the poor little girl. 

There was a knock at the door—Augustine went to 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


247 


it. It was a monster box of roses from Mr. Hopper 
with his card. “ Have you seen the papers ? You were 
great last night,” was written on it. “ When may I come 
for my answer?—telephone me-” and he had scrib¬ 

bled the number of his office. 

This comforted Nadine—here was one person who 
would not condemn her! In the eyes of Howard B. 
Hopper she was “ great ”! ... The depression lifted 
a little. Augustine opened the huge box for her. The 
roses were colossal and the scent was good. Augustine 
now discreetly left the room. 

When she was alone Nadine began to take the blos¬ 
soms and put them in a vase—not tasting her breakfast; 
she put the card down on the table beside her. 

In a minute or two she picked up the papers again, 
and read each allusion to the party through. It did 
sound all pretty terrible, but Mr. Hopper thought her 
“ great ”! She must not forget that! 

While she lay there playing with a glorious rose she 
had pulled down from the rest, Lady Crombie came into 
the room, the journal with the most sensational account 
of the party in her hand. 

She took in at once the situation. Defiance was 
written on every line of the pathetic little figure. She 
noted the unsuitable garment, and the vulgar suggestion 
the Chinese fans gave to the little face—it was all bizarre 
and barbaric—poor, poor child! Tears came into Lady 
Crombie’s kind eyes. “ She is not really bad, or vulgar, 
or even very fierce,” she thought to herself, “ that is why 
she would never succeed in being wicked, the timid gentle 
part would come up at the wrong moment! ” 

“ Good morning! ” Nadine said smilingly. 


248 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Good morning, dear. You know your father ar¬ 
rived from Canada last night, while you were out- 

I am afraid he must have seen—this! ” And Lady 
Crombie held out the paper. 

Nadine went into one of her peals of laughter. 
“ Papa! Oh! how it must have upset the poor old boy! ” 
and she rocked to and fro. “ Shan't I catch it—dear 
Lady Crombie! and of course you are shocked too! ” 

“ I am not shocked, dear—I am only sad. All this 
excitement does not mean happiness,” and she sat down 
upon the end of the sofa at Nadine’s feet. 

A change came over the poor child, her blue eyes 
grew misty. 

“ No, but it helps one to forget.” 

Lady Crombie was just going to express her sym¬ 
pathy and draw out the story of sorrow—and who 
knows if she had been able to do so, yet more complica¬ 
tions might have been kept from Nadine’s life—but fate 
again intervened in the person of Sir Edward, who 
strode in, a crumpled journal grasped in his hand. 

He had meant to be tender and kind to his child, 
and explain everything, and ask her forgiveness for the 
part he had played, but when he had read the scandalous 
paragraphs, his blood boiled with rage! Could she not 
even remember that she was a lady! His own flesh and 
blood thus to disgrace the Pelham name! It was not mis¬ 
understanding this time, she was not the victim of a 
snake-bite! She had deliberately gone to this impossi¬ 
ble party, and must have completely lost her head. But 
people of breeding should not lose their heads—women 
at least!— he was obliged to add, thinking suddenly of 
Russia! Surely the teaching of Miss Blenkensop, and 


THE GREAT MOMENT 249 

his own share in her nature, ought to have stood for 
something with Nadine! 

He was white with anger and disgust by the time 
he reached his daughter’s sitting-room. The common 
part of Nadine’s nature came uppermost when she saw 
hE face, an insolent sneering smile grew on her lips, 
and her blue eyes flashed with ugly mischief. 

Her father paused a moment, horrified at her appear¬ 
ance, and at the change in her whole personality. 

Was this his daughter—his little Nadine? This 
ridiculous dressed-up creature! His eyes travelled from 
the vulgar Chinese fans in her hair, to the more vulgar 
silver shoes—with heels four inches high! Then he 
said in a voice of ice: 

“ May I ask for an explanation of this,” and he 
struck the newspaper in his hand. Nadine drew her¬ 
self up. 

“ You may ask what you please, papa, but I need 
not answer if I do not want to,” and she showed all 
her white teeth in a smile that might have been a snarl. 

“ How dare you disgrace the Pelham name in this 
way,” the angry parent continued in a still colder voice 
than before. “ You shall come straight back to England 
with me immediately.” 

Now she burst out laughing, a little hysterically, then 
she flew into a violent rage. She stamped her foot 
and she shook her fist with passion, and suddenly the 
room melted before Sir Edward’s vision, and Nada 
stood there in her gipsy dress, flying at the chief of the 
troop, and biting his arm. 

He grew white as death. 

“ How dare you speak to me,” Nadine shrieked 


250 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


aloud. “ The Pelham name! the Pelham name! Every¬ 
thing must be sacrificed to that! Life and love and 
human things—probably you killed my mother with 
your Pelham pride.” But she had gone too far with her 
father—it seemed as if lightning came from his eyes 
and she quailed before it. 

“ Enough,” he said with deadly quiet. Nadine 
turned like an animal at bay, and her eyes caught 
Howard B. Hopper’s card on the table. She picked it 
up. 

“ Here is a name that I can do what I like with,” 
she cried. “ Hopper! It is common enough for me, 
and I shall take it and drag it in the mire if I wish. You 
would have married me to a namby-pamby Pelham—and 
then left me to a stranger—and now I will settle my 
own fate, and you and your Pelham name can get out 
of my existence.” 

She rushed round to the telephone, the card still 
in her hand, while Sir Edward and Lady Crombie stood 
back, too horrified to speak. 

“ Hallo!” 

Then she gave the number—and almost immediately 
a voice answered—and she smiled a smile of triumph, 
fixing her eyes on her father. 

“ Yes, you may come this afternoon for your answer 
—to tea—at five o’clock. . . . What is it to be—?. . . 
well can’t you guess?—” then a laugh—and then:— 
“ You said I was great, you know! I like being ‘ great/ 
. . . Au revoir! ” and she put the receiver down. 

“ Now,” she said to her father, “ now, that is done; 
and you can welcome your future son-in-law.” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


251 


But Sir Edward only turned to the door and left 
the room, and Lady Crombie followed him. And when 
Nadine was alone she sank upon the sofa again and 
stared in front of her—her courage and her anger had 
both died down. 

But she was in up to her neck, truly her ships were 
burned and she must go on—there was no returning. 

She was too wretched and too shamed for tears. 
There was no one in the world she could turn to now 
—who would understand or help—and then suddenly 
her thoughts flashed to Mrs. O’Hara. The rough desert 
landlady—who had seemed to realize what was passing 
in her soul—and who had given her advice based upon 
her knowledge of men—good advice too! and she would 
once more take it. Mr. Hopper (“ shall I have to call 
him ‘ Howard,’ ” she shivered)—Howard—must not 
see her with white face, and haggard eyes—he must see 
her triumphant and splendid, garbed as he would wish. 
So she rang for Augustine, and made her show her two 
new garments which had arrived the day before from 
the same place—and she chose a dreadful jetted black 
velvet and monkey fur confection with the side open 
nearly to her knee—and gave orders that she would 
put it on after lunch; meanwhile she was very tired 
and would sleep. Augustine could bring her up some 
soup at two o’clock. 

“ Which jupon will Mademoiselle wear,” Augustine 
asked, “ with this . . . tea-gown ? Mademoiselle may 
not have remarked that the skirt is . . . un peu-” 

“ I shan’t wear a petticoat at all, they are quite old- 
fashioned,” her mistress snapped, and she curled up on 



252 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


her sofa and shut her heavy lids. Augustine covered 
her with a squirrel rug and retired softly. 

But when she reached the passage she shrugged her 
shoulders and spread out her hands rather violently: 

“ Mon Dieu! elle est folle! ” she said. 

Jjs jjs sfc % 

The telephone had rung at quite an awkward 
moment for Howard B. Hopper. He was sitting in 
his office having a rather disagreeable interview with 
Polly. She also had read the papers that morning. 

The warm weather had broken, and it was chilly 
and grey—and quite the occasion to put on the new 
outlandish cat furs she had bought. 

She had “let Poppa have it,” as she told herself 
she meant to do. He was not going to get by with 
his crush on that English girl—he would have to come 
across with a nice fat sum before she let him put that 
over—that was the dope! (Polly’s language was not 
altogether refined, but Howard B. Hopper understood 
her.) 

“ Why, cutie—you should worry—” he was just 
saying when the telephone had rung—and he took the 
receiver up. 

His unctuous countenance beamed with delight when 
he heard the voice. Polly put out her gloved hand 
with the cat-fur gauntlet, to try and snatch the instru¬ 
ment from him, but he caught her wrist and continued 
to talk. 

Might he really come?—what was his answer to 
be?—sure—he’d be there with bells on! and only when 
Nadine said au revoir did his grip relax upon Polly’s 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


253 


wrist. She flew at him like a fury, until she saw his 
open cheque-book lying on the desk, and a comprehensive 
smile came into her cunning eyes. 

Howard B. Hopper knew that the amount must be 
five figured to bridge this time. . . . Polly could throw 
a wrench in the gears—if she felt that way, and it was 
better to be on the safe side. 

The eager glance watched the cheque being written, 
and when the last o was formed, Polly threw herself 
into her generous lover’s arms. 

“ There, sweetie,” he said. “ You beat it now, but 
Poppa ’ll be around as usual by and by,” and off the 
lady went. 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


A R A HAT afternoon Lady Crombie happened to be hav- 
ing several people to tea, but Nadine did not leave 
her room until five o’clock struck. 

Sir Edward’s face had been like the bust of Augustus 
Caesar at luncheon, and the Crombies had not mentioned 
the subject of Nadine. There were fortunately one or 
two other members of the Mission there, which relieved 
the strain, and then Sir Edward had gone out, but by 
five o’clock he was again in one of the small drawing¬ 
rooms with his hostess. Lady Crombie felt nervous as 
she noticed the clock. Five was the hour Nadine had 
asked Mr. Hopper to come—what on earth would hap¬ 
pen if he was announced before she came down! 

Nadine had, however, thought out all this, and 
waited up in the gallery arrayed in her elderly bundle 
of black velvet and jet and monkey fur, with the side 
split up to her knee, and a long train flowing behind 
her, her hair dressed as a Spaniard and a high comb 
in it. She had an uncomfortable suspicion that she 
looked ridiculous, but an obstinate temper was in her. 
She would not let anyone intimidate her. Mr. Hopper 
was sure to admire her, and say “ Your get-up is stun¬ 
ning, Peachy ”— “ Peachy! ” would he go on calling her 
“ Peachy”—when they were married? Here was the 
third man she was having to wonder about “ when they 
were married! ” She remembered how her timid 
thoughts used to speculate as to life in Rome with 
Eustace (was all that a hundred years ago?), and then 
254 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


255 


there were yet other speculations on that one brief 
morning when she had been married to Bayard. Here 
she drew in her breath sharply, a pain came round her 
heart. She must not think of that or of him—what 
would he have called her? She did not remember his 
using any form of endearment when they had looked 
at the sunset before the terrible snake came—the snake 
which had really been the cause of their wedding, and 
their parting. No, Bayard had just said, “ Nadine, I 
love you,” and as her thoughts reached this stage, a 
passionate thrill of remembrance quivered through her. 
Ah! he had meant it then, surely. But down in the big 
square hall she could hear a new arrival just entering. 
Yes, it was Mr. Hopper—“ Howard ”—and she must 
stop him before he should be announced into the small 
drawing-room there beyond the archway. She went 
down the top part of the stairs quickly, and then walked 
slowly when she came into view. Mr. Hopper stopped, 
planted his feet wide apart, and nodded his head. 
“ Aren’t you just great! ” he said. “ Your gown is per¬ 
fect.” And as ever the flattery comforted the half¬ 
primitive spirit of the girl—and she met him at the 
foot of the stairs with a radiant smile. 

“ Say—where am I going to hear the good news? 
In here? ” and he pointed to a sort of winter garden 
of palms and foliage which opened out beyond the stair¬ 
case to the right. Nadine longed to hustle him into the 
drawing-room to the others. Now that it had come 
to the point she was terrified, but the Pelham part of 
her was courageous, and she controlled herself and 
determined to face the inevitable. 


256 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ Yes/’ she answered, and led the way. Perhaps if 
she did not go too far among the palms and he thought 
servants might be coming by, he would not attempt 
to kiss her. This was her only coherent thought. But 
nothing could daunt Mr. Hopper. 

“ I’m just crazy about you, Peachy,” he whispered 
hoarsely, and clasped her in his arms. “ And you’re 
going to be Mrs. Howard B. Gee 1 Pm proud 1 ” 

There was no use struggling—but oh! he must not 
—must not touch her lips! So Nadine buried her face 
in his coat, and left him only a cheek and an ear to choose 
from. He literally devoured both, and a shivering hide¬ 
ous disgust filled the poor child. “ I’m wild—I’m wild 
about you,” Mr. Hopper murmured. ... It had not 
struck him to ask her if she loved him. He was entirely 
occupied by his own gratification. He had secured what 
he wanted—which was her consent, and no other aspect 
of the case existed for him. “ Now I want that cherry 
of a mouth,” he demanded. But Nadine broke away 
from him—her wits returning to defend herself. “ No, 
no! not yet—you must give me time—Howard,” and 
she looked at him archly. “ Let us go into the drawing¬ 
room now, and tell the Crombies and my father.” 

“ Not before my little ring is on your hand,” and 
he brought out a case, and disclosed an immense single¬ 
stone diamond, as big as a hazel-nut. 

“ They can see that across the room,” he said 
proudly, “ and every one will know you’re mine.” 

Nadine nearly went into one of her fits of laughter, 
she was almost hysterical, but she let her new fiance 
take her little left hand—he made no mistake, like 


THE GREAT MOMENT 257 

Eustace, but slipped the blatant token upon the third 
finger, and then bent and kissed it. 

“ What a beautiful ring,” Nadine exclaimed. It 
seemed the only thing to say. 

“It’s the best that money can buy; but only the 
number ones can ever be for you.” 

“It is divine,” and she examined the marvellous 
stone with real admiration. “ Thank you very much, 
and now I do want you to meet papa,” and taking his 
arm Nadine led Mr. Howard B. Hopper towards the 
archway which opened into this smaller drawing-room. 

Sir Edward and Lord Crombie were standing with 
their backs to the fireplace, some lady guests were 
seated near Lady Crombie, who was pouring out the 
tea, and a young man or two from the Embassies con¬ 
versed with some girls—not of the set of Nadine’s 
friends! 

Every one looked up as the pair entered, and with 
complete assurance Mr. Hopper came over to the two 
elderly gentlemen after he had cordially greeted the 
chilly hostess. 

“ Say, I’m glad to meet you,” he announced to his 
future father-in-law, whom he slapped in a friendly 
way on the back; “ guess you’ve no objection to give 
me Nadine ? ” 

Sir Edward’s glance would have cowed almost any¬ 
one else in the world, but it had not the least effect 
upon the millionaire, who did not perceive it. That 
stand-offishness in the old boy was perfectly all right 
—he felt—showed he was the real thing, and knew 
how to be up stage. 

“Mr. Hopper and I are engaged, papa,” Nadine 
17 


258 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


said, stroking the huge diamond, while her eyes filled 
with a malicious smile. “ Do congratulate us.” 

Sir Edward bowed. 

“ My daughter is free to do as she pleases,” he 
said icily. “ I am sailing for England in two weeks. 
My best wishes to you both,” then he turned to a lady 
near and took no further notice of either of them. 

This rather damped Nadine’s triumph. She would 
liked to have seen him angry and disturbed. 

Every one else now congratulated them, and Lord 
Crombie fixed his glass in his eye. 

But the one thing which was concerning Nadine 
was how she could manoeuvre not to be alone with her 
fiance before he left. A bitter little laugh came to 
her lips when she remembered how she never wanted 
to be left with Eustace either. It was grimly humorous 
really. Must fiances always be—physically distasteful? 
It seemed so. 

She would put on airs, and show caprice—all the 
girls with whom she spent her time ruled all the men, 
and never considered anyone but themselves, so she 
would do likewise. To be coquettishly dictatorial to 
Mr. Hopper must be her line of action, until she had 
coached herself to stand his caresses. 

Howard B. Hopper was radiant. He had no mis¬ 
givings. 

Once the affair was an accomplished fact, Lady 
Crombie became coldly gracious. She felt that prob¬ 
ably Nadine would be grateful to her if she could arrange 
that she should have an evening away from the giddy 
crew, so she said when Mr. Hopper sprawled familiarly 
beside her on her sofa: 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


259 


“ I hope you will allow us to keep Nadine at home 
this evening because I want her to go to bed early. I 
am afraid the wetting she had last night, when the canoe 
upset, has quite knocked her up, and she should have 
a long rest.” 

“ Why, certainly,” agreed the millionaire; he was 
thinking that he had better go and see Polly to be sure 
that she was planning no coup. “ Why, certainly. Give 
her all the care that you can, Lady Crombie. I’ll be 
round in the morning to take her horseback riding. I’ve 
a new mare for her to try out.” 

Lady Crombie acquiesced. Then he went on: 
“ There is no need of any length of engagement. I’d 
like the wedding to take place before Sir Edward goes. 
Say, Nadine,” and he beckoned to her as she sat by 
an elderly lady. “ Will you agree to be Mrs. Howard 
B. before your poppa crosses the mill-pond—what do 
you say to a swell wedding in twelve days’ time ? ” 

Nadine thought of a picture she had once seen of a 
Christian martyr being led to a lion’s cage. Well, as 
it was going to be, it had better be as soon as possible 
—or she might not have the nerve to go through with it. 

“ That will be splendid—Howard,” she answered 
with a defiant glance at her father, who however 
remained frozen and uninterested. 

“ Then that is settled,” and Mr. Hopper rose with 
his assured cordiality. He made his adieux to the 
hostess, walked over to Sir Edward, who was again 
standing by the fireplace, and held out his hand. 

“ I’ll be proud to have you for a pa-in-law,” he 
announced, and with a familiar pat on the shoulder he 
wrung Sir Edward’s unwilling hand. Then beckoning 


260 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Nadine again with a crooked first finger, he made his 
exit, drawing her into the hall once more. 

“ On the twelfth of September then, Peachy. Say, 
that’s a cute name for you, kiddie. W’ll show them, 
and in the meantime Howard B. will think out some 
dandy surprises for his little garl.” With this he bent 
to kiss the olive-ivory face, but adroitly Nadine turned 
so that he only touched her hair. Then she ran from 
him up the stairs, calling archly, “ I am going to rest 
now, and to-morrow I’ll try the new mare,” and she 
disappeared into the gallery above. Mr. Hopper waved 
to her ecstatically and then took his departure, triumph 
filling every inch of him. 

* * * * * 

As soon as the other guests had gone, three disturbed 
people faced each other. 

“ What on earth is to be done? ” Sir Edward said. 

“ It is a pretty kettle of fish, Ned,” and Lord Crombie 
looked at his old friend sympathetically, while Lady 
Crombie clasped her delicate hands. “ It is not all the 
poor child’s fault. I am convinced that she still cares 
for that young man out at the mine—and all this is just 
bravado.” She exclaimed—“ Ah! If only he had been 
a gentleman and all right, how fortunate it would have 
been, because such a nature as Nadine’s can only be 
influenced by love.” 

“ He was a gentleman—and all right, Viola,” Sir 
Edward’s voice was quite low. “ The affair was one 
unlucky series of misunderstandings which I have only 
lately understood—and you really think she cares for 
the fellow still? ” he went on and there was a shade of 
hope in. the tone. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


261 


“ I am sure of it. She admitted to me this morning 
that this excitement, while it did not bring happiness, 
helped her to forget.” 

“ I should prefer that she married one of her own 
nation. Still, Delaval was just the sort of character 
who would know how to deal with her and I believe 
he really loved her too,” and Sir Edward sighed. 

“How could we communicate with him?” Lady 
Crombie asked eagerly, her woman’s heart touched by 
the thought of romance. “If he knew what she is 
thinking of doing he might-” 

“ It would be a delicate business to call him back, 
not knowing either of their certain views,” Lord 
Crombie interposed diplomatically. “ You could prob¬ 
ably elicit Nadine’s, but it would not be easy to explain 
things in a letter to the young man.” 

“ My partner Bronson is due here in the next few 
days, he might be able to help,” Sir Edward said. “ For 
the moment there seems nothing to be done ”—and 
there was a look of despair in his face. “ But will you 
explain one thing to me, Viola. How could a girl 
like Nadine, who has never in her life mixed with any 
but gentle people, possibly contemplate marrying an in¬ 
tolerable cad like Mr. Howard B. Hopper? Women are 
incredible creatures.” 

“ They want love, and if they cannot have that, they ' 
are capable of every folly,” Lady Crombie answered 
sadly. “ I will try what I can do with Nadine, and you, 
Ned, had better hasten Mr. Bronson’s arrival as much 
as you can.” 

And so the three went up to dress for dinner—each 
feeling not very hopeful of results. 



262 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


And Nadine up in her sitting-room had ordered a 
wood fire to be lit in the open grate—she felt so cold 
and strange—and there she stood looking into the crack¬ 
ling flames, obstinate, stubborn misery lying deep in 
her blue eyes. 

And in a room in the house where she lived with her 
ultra-respectable mother—or was it aunt?—Polly was 
“ throwing fits ” with real art, and terrifying the newly 
made fiance into promising her a trip to New York, and 
a new chincilla coat. 


CHAPTER XXIX 


COME rather belated papers came out to Rockers 
^ Point about this time, and Bayard Delaval picked 
one up as he was eating an early dinner in a tent hotel. 
His work had been very difficult and required all his 
intelligence—and all his wits. He had literally not 
had one moment to think, but underneath there was a 
new hope in his spirit, when he should be free he would 
go East and never stop until he had found his darling 
little girl, and told her everything which was in his 
heart, and then if she could forgive him. . . . Ah! 
That was too good to dwell upon—yet. 

He was feeling particularly bright as he ate the 
simple food. 

His eyes glanced idly over the printed words, there 
never was anything very interesting to be found. Sud¬ 
denly a headline copied from a Washington journal 
struck his view— 

“ Daughter of English Baronet plunges into lake at 
Poppa Hopper’s orgie,” and he bent forward with 
sudden passionate interest and apprehension to read 
the rest. 

His face paled a little as he finished the last line. 
What could have happened to his refined delicate little 
love ? Of course papers always exaggerated everything 
—and he cursed this wretched taste—but still the insinu¬ 
ation was that the whole party had been a lawless 
affair, and that the guests were not quite themselves. 

263 


264 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Nadine to be among such people, and to have plunged 
into a lake! And who was this Hopper?—and what 
did it all mean? 

Then he got up in rage. And here was he tied to the 
mine, and he should be there protecting and looking 
after her! What could her own people be about to let 
her mix with such a crew ? But what change must have 
occurred in her. Indeed, indeed she was in need of “ a 
master and lots of love! ” He had several times noticed 
the wild streak in her. What if she had been so wounded 
to the quick by his, Bayard’s, conduct, that she had 
grown reckless ? Oh! he could not bear it, he must go 
East at once. 

He took up the paper again—it was three days old— 
and this party must have happened the night before— 
four days ago. When—when could he leave? 

But it was not a question of could, he must. He 
went out of the tent rapidly. So much depended upon 
his full report of the new mine. If he sat up all night 
he could perhaps leave on the morrow. He could then 
be in Washington in five days, that would be the nth 
of September. But to do this he must not waste one 
instant in thought, his whole mind must be concentrated 
upon the problems before him. And it was here that 
the strong fine character of the man showed, and the 
complete control he possessed over himself. Master 
of his iron will—for as the hours passed he did not 
give way to the temptation of memory or anticipation, 
he just doggedly stuck to his work—all that afternoon 
and on through the long night—and at dawn when he 
was drinking strong coffee to keep his mind alert—a 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


265 


friend came into the shack with a telegram for him. It 
had come the evening before, and stayed in the rough 
post office. 

He opened it indifferently, he often got telegrams 
about his work. 

“ Come immediately and join me, imperative. 
Chuck work, must be here before twelfth. Elihu Bron¬ 
son, Willard Hotel, Washington, D. C.” 

What had happened? Did the telegram concern 
the mine—or Nadine? He had finished his task in 
any case and now there was not one moment to be lost 
and even so he was not sure if he could make it before 
the twelfth. Only if luck was with him, and he picked 
up all connections. Ready money could do much—and 
fortunately he had thousands of dollars cash lying in 
the bank at Gold Stamp. In less than half an hour he 
was off—racing through the desert in his automobile— 
to find what ?—heaven or hell ? 

* * * * * 

Four days of the engagement had gone by, and noth¬ 
ing that Lady Crombie said had had the least effect 
upon Nadine. She was like a block of ice generally, 
alternating with wild fits of gaiety. She had turned a 
frozen Pelham stare upon her kind hostess, which would 
have done justice to her father, when that lady most 
tactfully tried to appeal to her heart, in a suggestion that 
she probably did not love Mr. Hopper, and perhaps did 
love some one else. 

“I do not understand in the least what you are 


266 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


talking about,” the stubborn little girl retorted loftily. 

“ I am entirely satisfied with—Mr. Hopper”—(she 
could not force herself to say “ Howard ”)—“ and I am 
greatly looking forward to my new life, so none of you 
need try to dissuade me from having the smartest wed¬ 
ding of the year on the twelfth of this month.” 

“ Very well, dear, there is nothing further to be - 
done then,” and Lady Crombie relapsed into silence for 
a while, and then talked of something else. 

Eustace and Sadie had been delayed in New York, 
and would not arrive now until the day before the wed¬ 
ding, when it had been arranged that a reception should 
be held which should include all the Diplomatic Corps 
and every distinguished person in Washington at the 
time. 

“ Do not trouble much about your trousseau, 
Peachy,” Mr. Hopper had said when he arrived the 
morning after the betrothal had taken place and he 
and his fiancee were galloping together near his home 
—the mare had turned out perfection, and the swift 
smooth paces were exalting Nadine. “ You can buy any¬ 
thing on God’s green earth you want—afterwards; let’s 
enjoy ourselves and not waste time in fittings—and 
we’ll go right across to Paris if they can’t rig you out 
swell enough in New York.” 

“ Oh, I must have clothes,” Nadine said, pouting. 
“Now you are not to bother me at all, Howard. I shall 
hardly see you, I am going to be so busy with dress¬ 
makers ; so you’ll have to put up with it.” 

This she felt would be a legitimate excuse to be as 
little in his company as possible—until—but her mind 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


267 


refused to face the picture of that! During the night 
after she had accepted Mr. Hopper, when she had tossed 
sleeplessly, she had determined that she would not let 
him kiss her again, even her cheek, she would be just 
as capricious and autocratic as Adala Meeking was to 
her new husband, and Sadie had counselled her was the 
way to treat all American men. 

So she had fenced with him when he had arrived to 
take her for the ride, and wanted to embrace her, and 
finally had stamped her foot and flashed her blue eyes 
at him, in fierce anger, when he had tried to disobey 
her; and this immediately reduced him to obedience with 
his oft-repeated exclamation: 

“ Gee! You’re just great! ” 

Her heart felt lighter when she had satisfactorily 
disposed of this nightmare—for the time. The wedding 
ceremony would be the end of everything—she refused 
to think beyond that. 

She had accepted his proposal solely to demonstrate 
that she would do as she pleased, and that no father, 
and no friends, should control her. She knew that 
she had done it all in a temper, and in desperation, but 
there was no going back. So she must brave it out 
to every one, and pretend she was triumphantly glad. 
And after all, Howard was so kind, and they would live 
too fast to think. And—what wonderful presents he 

was giving her and- But as the hours passed, a 

secret terror grew and grew in her heart. 

On the third day Mr. Bronson arrived in Washing¬ 
ton to await Sadie and Eustace. 

He came to the Crombies’ house in the afternoon 


268 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


and found Lady Crombie, and her husband and Sir 
Edward having tea. Nadine was out with her feather¬ 
brain friends as usual. Mr. Bronson had missed seeing 
the announcement of the engagement in the papers, 
as he had been on the train, and the news of it came upon 
him with a shock. 

“ There is some one out West who will feel this as 
an awful blow, Sir Edward,” he said. “You know 
we all misjudged that young man.” 

“ I know it.” 

“ Can you do nothing, Mr. Bronson, to get him to 
come here in time,” Lady Crombie interrupted. “ The 
only thing to save the poor misguided child is some 
one as strong and brave as young Lochinvar. I am sure 
she loves Mr. Delaval, but she will go through with 
this horrible marriage just out of obstinacy unless he 
comes here and prevents her. Oh! do make him, Mr. 
Bronson,” and her gentle voice was full of pleading. 
Sir Edward and Lord Crombie did not speak, but their 
looks were eloquent also with entreaty. 

Mr. Bronson never wasted many words. 

“Ell do my darnd’st,” and he went at once to the 
writing-table and wrote a telegram: 

“ Come immediately and join me, imperative. Chuck 
work, must be here before twelfth. Elihu Bronson, 
Willard Hotel, Washington, D.C.” 

“ If he starts right away he'll just make it,” he said. 
“ I had a conversation with him in Gold Stamp ten days 
ago, and I have got the whole thing clear of what hap¬ 
pened and why they parted.” 

“ Please do tell us.” It was Lady Crombie who 


THE GREAT MOMENT 269 

spoke, but the two elderly gentlemen were equally 
interested. 

So Mr. Bronson, when the telegram was safely dis¬ 
patched, sat down amidst the group and began. He 
told them the whole story as far as he knew it. 

“ It is just what I have lately begun to think,” Sir 
Edward said. It only shows how circumstantial evi¬ 
dence cannot always be relied on.” 

“ Oh, the poor, poor child,” Lady Crombie sighed. 
“ She must not be allowed to wreck her whole life. If he 
does not come in time, I will brave all her wrath and tell 
her myself—even on the wedding day.” 

“If the trains can get him across the continent, 
Bayard Delaval will be here,” Mr. Bronson assured 
them. 

At that moment in Mrs. Meeking’s drawing-room, 
Nadine was having a clash of wills with her fiance. 

They had been left alone by the considerate hostess, 
and Mr. Hopper had become very affectionate, he had 
slipped his arm round Nadine’s waist, as they sat on 
the sofa, and showed every sign of demanding, and 
giving, further caresses. 

The same strange feeling that she was betraying 
some trust came over Nadine, and the verses of Mont¬ 
rose’s love song that Bayard had sung to her returned 
to her memory:— 

“And in the empire of thy heart, 

Where I should solely be, 

If others do pretend a part, 

Or dare to share with me; 

Or committees if thou erect, 

Or go on such a score, 

I’ll smiling mock at thy neglect, 

And never love thee more.” 


270 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Suddenly she could see Bayard as when he had 
sung the words, his clear-cut features, and his proudly 
set head, masterful and commanding, but with the eyes 
filled with passionate love, and the same thrill came over 
her as she had felt then. Indeed, indeed, he was her only 
love—and yet soon, perhaps in a few seconds, she would 
be obliged to give those sacred things, her lips which 

she knew should belong to love alone—to-Mr. 

Hopper. It was horrible, monstrous, and in seven days 
he would be her husband. 

A queer sense of panic filled her. She bounded from 
the sofa. 

“ I am all nervy,” she exclaimed. “ Howard don’t 
touch me, please, and take me home.” 

Mr. Hopper saw that she was very pale. He was 
quite accustomed to women showing every kind of 
temper and caprice, and he looked upon this as only 
a natural manifestation of the female nature. It would 
be all right, when they were safely married, and he 
could wait until then. “ Why, certainly dearie,” he 
agreed. “ Poppa will take care of his little garl and 
drive her home.” 

And Nadine felt grateful—and this gratitude helped 
her to strangle the emotion she was feeling, so that 
when they arrived at the Crombies’ door, she gave him 
her hand with more cordiality than she had ever done. 

“I’m going straight to bed to-night, not to the 
Parker’s,” she told him. “ I am dead beat.” 

He did not try to dissuade her. He had been on 
the run himself ever since the happy affair had been 
announced, and an evening off strain—perhaps with 
Polly—would not be distasteful to him, he felt. 



THE GREAT MOMENT 


271 


So Nadine crept up to her room, meeting no one 
as she went in, and there she opened her window and 
looked into the dark. The weather had grown warm 
again and there was just a soft breeze which lifted the 
tendrils of her black hair. 

“ Where is he ? ” she whispered with a sob in her 
voice. “ My Bayard. My Knight-” 



CHAPTER XXX 


T HE day before the wedding of Howard B. Hopper 
and Nadine Pelham, was horribly wet. It poured, 
and the wind sighed, and it seemed as though summer 
was over. 

Lady Crombie woke with a sense of foreboding and 
anxiety—would Bayard Delaval arrive in time? And 
if he did come, could he prevent the headstrong little 
girl from throwing away her life? 

Howard B. Hopper woke full of triumph and 
security. Polly had been seen safely off to New York 
to bide the moment when his domestic relations should 
be so matured that he could slip away again from time 
to time and resume their agreeable acquaintance—a 
matter of a month or two, he fondly assured her. 

Sir Edward Pelham woke an unhappy man. His 
guardianship of Nada’s child had not been a success 
—and the present catastrophe was the result of it. 

Nadine woke—full of wretchedness and wild rebel¬ 
lion. Every one had failed her, and—she had failed 
herself. 

Every word that‘ Bayard had ever said to her came 
back to her memory. How true and fine he had always 
been. She especially thought of the moment when he 
had told her of his ambition. How he would like to 
be so rich that he could be quite free to give his whole 
brain to something higher than making money—so that 
he could help people to get burdens off their backs— 
and that he could do some great work for his country. 

272 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


273 


She remembered his clear eyes looking ahead, and how 
she had thrilled with pride in him, and longed to be his 
mate and help him. 

“ But if no faithless action stain 
Thy love and constant word, 

I’ll make thee famous by my pen, 

And glorious by my word. 

I’ll serve thee in such noble ways 
As ne’er was known before, 

I’ll deck and crown thy head with bays 
And love thee more and more.” 

Montrose’s song rang in her head, just as it had 
done at Adala Meeking’s. It seemed to be woven into 
her being like the Red Sarafane. The whole thing was 
so characteristic of Bayard. The strength, the pride, 
the realization of what true love must mean. 

Bayard would have been as Montrose—and oh, the 
happiness to have obeyed him, and rested in his arms 
for ever. 

What had parted them? Fate?—His fault?—Her 
fault?—Alas! what a cruel mystery. And instead of 
surrendering to divine emotion with the knowledge that 
they two together would climb a path to noble things— 
on the morrow she would have to go away alone with 
Howard B. Hopper whom she utterly despised—and 
the thought of whose kisses,—which she would then 
no longer be able to dodge or refuse to receive—just 
turned her cold and sick. 

Howard B. Hopper— 1 who had no fine aims, and 
would, eventually, drag her down to his level. 

The poor little girl looked at herself in the glass 
when she g6t up from her bed. How changed she was 
since her eighteenth birthday. A sense of fear came 
over her. In all the wild hours she had spent since 
18 


274 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


she came to Washington—in all the nightmare of her 
engagement—no man had ever touched her lips. Ah! 
if the snake had not come, and the horses had not run 
away, she would have known what a real kiss meant— 
the kiss of love. 

She quivered all over—her primitive nature thrilling 
with the remembrance of the few seconds when she 
had melted into Bayard’s arms—there on the canyon. 
That was passion indeed—that was living—that was 
the fusing of mind and body and soul. 

Oh! she could never, never bear that Howard B. 
Hopper should touch her. Then for a few minutes 
she lost control of herself and ran up and down the 
room in terror. 

But Augustine entered with her dress for the recep¬ 
tion, which had just arrived from New York. A won¬ 
derful thing of pearls and ermine—literally one mass 
of strings of pearls, and fat white ermine! 

“ Give them something to talk about, Peachy,” the 
proud fiance had said, when they discussed what gar¬ 
ment she should dazzle the Diplomatic-Corps in. 

“ Something which shows what it cost. I’ll see 
to the orchids—you bet,” he had added—and now it 
had come. Well, it was very beautiful, and very remark¬ 
able, and no one ever had such a dress before. 

“ My hair must be done in an old Italian way,” 
Nadine told Augustine. “ Something like the picture of 
Beatrice d’Este.” 

Augustine was excited at the prospect of the wed¬ 
ding. A husband who could give her young lady dia¬ 
monds as big as nuts, and every other kind of jewel, 
and sables and motor-cars, was the right sort of husband 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


275 


to have. Since all husbands at the end of a year or 
two became duties, therefore those with the wherewithal 
to smooth the thorny path were obviously the best kind 
to select. 

That was Augustine’s philosophy, and her insidious 
approval of Mr. Hopper had been some kind of com¬ 
fort to Nadine. 

Bayard Delaval woke in a fever of impatience, in 
spite of the fact that unless some accident occurred his 
connections were all made so that he should be in 
Washington by nine o’clock that evening—to find what? 

Were the Pelhams leaving on the morrow, that Mr. 
Bronson had been so particular about his arriving on 
the eleventh? That was it, of course, but even if so, 
he could follow them to the end of the world. 

There had been no announcement of the intended 
Hopper wedding in the Western papers, and he had 
been too centred upon his own thoughts, in any case, 
to have looked for anything in particular. Once his 
iron will no longer imposed banishment upon all memory 
of Nadine, it seemed as though the floodgates of his 
pent-up emotions were opened, and the tide of passion 
swept all before it. His whole being was submerged 
in it. His thoughts never left the little olive-ivory face, 
and his temples throbbed with the longing for her. A 
fierceness was in him, he desired to crush her in his 
arms, to seize her and carry her off for his very own, 
away from all the world. For the first time in his life 
he knew the whole delirium of love. 

And so the hours passed. 

Nadine had asked her fiance not to come and see 
her during the day. She must be with her family, she 


276 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


had assured him, but she never left her room all the 
morning, and had her lunch served in her sitting-room, 
and then deliberately composed herself for sleep. She 
was worn out with excitement and fatigue. Presents 
were arriving all the time—but she had ceased to take 
any interest in them. She had passed beyong the stage 
when they could give her any pleasure. She seemd to 
be obsessed with only one thought—one hideous vision 
—the moment when she must let Howard B. Hopper kiss 
her. The picture of the honeymoon with him was 
so awful that she could not face it, and yet she knew 
that she was not strong enough to break away now at 
the last moment—and stand the scandal and the re¬ 
proaches of her friends—and the triumph of her father. 
She had not the courage. She was just beaten on all 
sides. 

Augustine brought her up some camomile tea, and 
it soothed her, and at last she slept until late in the 
afternoon. 

Lady Crombie had not gone near her—of what use ? 
If Bayard Delaval did not arrive to-night, then she 
would speak out, but at present the less she irritated 
the excited headstrong child, the better. 

Just before dinner Mr. Bronson telephoned that he 
had received a wire from the eagerly expected young 
man. It was to say that if he caught the last connec¬ 
tion all right, he would be at the hotel by nine o’clock. 

The poor lady breathed a sigh of relief and went 
to impart the good news to her husband and Sir Edward. 

There was a dinner-party before the reception. Mr. 
Hopper arrived in good time, just as Nadine was com¬ 
ing down the stairs to go into the great salon. She 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


277 


made a beautiful picture as she descended the steps in 
her altogether marvellous dress. Its train of pearls 
bordered with wide ermine travelling behind her and a 
great bunch of orchids at her waist, while her black 
hair was done in an eccentric fashion rather high, with 
isolated pearl hairpins keeping it in place. 

“ Peachy, you’re a queen,” the enamoured Hopper 
said; passionate admiration in his dissipated eyes. 

Fortunately for Nadine, servants were crossing the 
hall, or nothing could have kept him within the pre¬ 
scribed bounds. 

Sir Edward had avoided meeting his future son-in- 
law as much as possible, and had left the lawyer to 
make all arrangements as to settlements. His pride 
insisting upon Nadine’s money being settled upon her¬ 
self, and declining any provision from Mr. Hopper. 

“ Let him give her what he likes afterwards,” Sir 
Edward said to Lord Crombie; “ but with my consent 
she shall not receive a dollar from the bounder.” 

These days had been one continual gall to him. 
When Nadine entered the salon, there was a murmur 
of admiration, and it gave her courage. She had been 
feeling that she would just have to give up and stay 
hiding in her room. 

All the most charming people in Washington were 
assembled, and Howard B. Hopper beamed with 
delighted triumph. These interesting and refined 
countrymen and women of his had not hitherto looked 
upon him with too gracious eyes. 

And so the hour when fate intended to strike again 


grew nearer. 


CHAPTER XXXI 


M R. HOPPER had partaken of two or three cock¬ 
tails as he dressed for this momentous occasion 
—so that the first glasses of champagne he drank at 
dinner began to affect his head, and Nadine who sat 
next to him, was wise enough now in the ways of the 
people she had gone out among to understand this, and 
what would probably be its consequence. A sickening 
sense of disgust and shame invaded her. Here, before 
they had reached the entrees, the man who would be her 
husband on the morrow was becoming intoxicated, in 
a company composed of the elite of American and cos¬ 
mopolitan society in Washington. People who did not 
indulge in this way, and who would have scant tolerance 
for anyone who did. 

Suddenly the poor child realized the vulgarity and 
licence of the set she had been consorting with and the 
strong influence they had had upon her—for she—who 
had never seen or heard before of people being tipsy in 
her short, sheltered life—had become so hardened that 
the sight of wildly excited girls and incoherent young 
men had grown not to shock her. 

And after to-morrow she would not only have the 
disgrace to bear of seeing Howard noisy and boisterous 
at dinner; but she would have to go home alone with 
him afterwards, when he would probably be quite drunk. 

She put down her glass without tasting it, she had 
become very pale. 

Her fiance for his part was in a seventh heaven, 
278 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


279 


his natural insolent self-assurance, exaggerated by what 
he had imbibed, was more blatant than it had ever been. 

Nadine nearly went into a fit of hysterical laughter 
when she caught sight of the face of an exquisite old 
American lady—one of Washington’s greatest hostesses, 
who was seated at his other side. Disgust and con¬ 
tempt, and freezing hauteur were stamped upon her 
delicate features, as Mr. Hopper made one ill-timed 
joke after another, and through the flowers she could 
see Eustace across the table—who had arrived that 
afternoon with his bride—and was there pity in his cold 
eyes? 

This fired her. She could not bear pity—pity from 
Eustace! 

So she controlled her anguish of shame and disgust, 
and deliberately drew her fiance into conversation. 

“ Howard,” she whispered, “ promise me you will 
not drink anything more this evening. If you do, I’ll 
go straight up to my room.” 

An ugly look came into his face, his coarse mouth 
set. 

“ Now, don’t be up-stage, Peachy,” he retorted. 
“ Why, what’s come to you? ” 

That terrible cold, empty sinking beneath the heart 
was growing and growing in Nadine. She felt as 
though she could not bear anything further. 

The important personage who sat on her other side, 
fortunately then engaged her in conversation. He felt 
commiseration for the poor little girl, too, but tried 
not to show it. 

And so the dinner passed and the reception began. 

Sadie came up to Nadine as soon as they had left 


280 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


the table. She was looking radiant, and had already, 
with that marvellous adaptability which is one of the 
great qualities of American women, begun to adopt 
the Pelham air of dignity. 

“How much more suitable to papa she is than I 
am,” Nadine thought instantly—and pain grew. Sadie 
was on firm ground and would be honoured and 
respected—and she—where was she drifting to? 

Sadie was charming and tactful as usual, she had 
heard all about the situation from her father, and knew 
that it would be wiser to let Nadine see that she did not 
think she had caught a gold fish in Mr. Hopper, so that 
she might not have any support to lean upon; and at 
the end of a ten minutes’ conversation, without antago¬ 
nizing her, she had let Nadine feel that she thought she 
was going to commit a desperate mistake in marrying 
the millionaire. 

Nadine was at breaking-point almost. Visions of 
Europe came to her. How could she ever be seen 
with Howard there—and New York’s best would not 
be likely to receive him either—in spite of his dollars 
—since it was plain to be seen that Washington’s best 
was not accepting him graciously. Instead of a gilded 
existence ahead, she would have to surmount difficulties 
—she, Nadine Pelham! But worse, much worse than 
all that, was the thought that he would be her 

HUSBAND. 

Ah! how much better to have stayed in the Gold 
Rock hotel with Bayard, or have lived in his shack, 
and tried to learn to cook, and keep house for him, sur¬ 
rounded by fond love and care—than to have luxury 
and disgust and misery. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


281 


The younger people had begun to dance in the large 
music room, and the rest of the company filled the great 
hall, and the galleries above. 

Nadine had just been introduced by Lady Crombie 
to an English woman who was passing—and they had 
walked on into a little room beyond the staircase to¬ 
gether. While Mr. Hopper took this opportunity of 
going to the smoking-room to have a drink with the 
few men of his own set who were at the party. 

Sir Edward and Lord Crombie walked apart. “ How 
I hope to God Delaval will arrive in time,” the dis¬ 
tracted parent said; and at that moment both men’s 
eyes caught sight of Mr. Bronson—and yes—Bayard 
Delaval coming from the entrance hall. 

“ If Bronson has not told him of to-morrow’s wed¬ 
ding, don’t enlighten him, Ned,” Lord Crombie urged. 
“ Let him see her first and let them both get the shock, 
it will be much more effective.” Sir Edward nodded 
and they went to meet the two men. 

Bayard had not asked Mr. Bronson any questions 
when he saw that he did not mean to be communicative. 
The cautious nature of the astute mine-owner made 
him decide not to interfere. 

“ I am glad you are in time, Delaval,” he had said; 
“ and I will leave it to you to grasp the situation—hustle 
dressing.” 

And they had spoken of the mine on their way to 
the Crombies’ house. 

Sir Edward stepped behind Lord Crombie after they 
all shook hands, and then he came forward and drew 
Bayard aside. 

“ I want to apologize to you, Mr. Delaval,” he said, 


282 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ for the attitude that I took up in the past. I allowed 
prejudice and circumstantial evidence to cloud my judg¬ 
ment. I am truly sorry that I did you that great 
injustice.” 

“ It was to your daughter you did the wrong, sir,” 
Bayard answered. “ It is to her that the apology is 
due. I understand that things looked ugly to you, but 
I can’t understand how you showed so little confidence 
in your own dear little girl.” 

Sir Edward’s eyes filled with pain. 

“ I had reason to fear the heredity in her—it had 
been my constant concern, and what I saw appeared 
the confirmation of my worst fears; but I was indeed 
wrong, and I am truly sorry.” 

“ Have you explained to Nadine ? ” 

“ Alas! I have lost all influence with my daughter.” 
At that moment two personages of the Mission passed, 
and stopped to converse with Sir Edward, and Bayard 
Delaval moved on, only concerned with the finding of 
Nadine as soon as possible. 

Lady Crombie chanced Upon him as he made his 
way through the vast throng accompanied by Mr. Bron¬ 
son, and she stopped and was most gracious when Mr. 
Bronson introduced him. Then she drew them tact¬ 
fully towards the door of the little alcove. There he 
would be sure to catch sight of Nadine beyond talking 
to the English woman, she thought. Then she pre¬ 
tended to point out some mutual friends to Mr. Bron¬ 
son, so that Bayard might go on alone. 

“ He is perfectly charming, your young man,” she 
exclaimed as the tall figure moved forward. “ How I 
do trust it will be all right! ” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


283 


Bayard caught sight of Nadine before she saw him. 
He had thought that he could not feel more intensely 
than he had already felt concerning her in his life, but 
the wave of emotion which swept over him surpassed 
anything he had ever experienced. He looked long and 
took in the dress, and the jewels, and the whole allure. 
How infinitely changed had she become—his darling 
little love. 

But if fault there was, it was his, and no one’s else, 
and his must be the task to alter her again. 

His eyes, burning with passionate love, were fixed 
upon the little face when she suddenly looked up and 
saw him. 

She drew in her breath with a sharp hiss, and the 
English woman, seeing that something unusual was 
about to occur between these two young people, walked 
through on into the conservatory, leaving Nadine alone. 

“ How do you do, Mr. Delaval? ” 

“ How are you, Miss Pelham ? ” 

This is the way that they greeted one another after all 
these days. 

“You—you’ve come from the mine?” Nadine’s 
voice was hoarse, and, in the strange way unimportant 
trifles seem to register at thrilling moments, her eyes 
were taking in how well Bayard looked in evening 
dress—that acid test of a gentleman, as her father had 
always said. Well, there was no doubt about Bayard’s 
status! All the assumed carelessness of the mining 
engineer’s rough garments had departed, and before 
her stood a distinguished man of the world, like her 
father, or Eustace, or any of the Cabinet Ministers, or 


284 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


the men who belonged to this Washington set which 
Howard B. Hopper did not adorn! 

All the more credit to him to work, if he was very 
poor, and a gentleman. But she felt that she would 
not care had he been a beggar in the street! He was her 
love 1 This thought flashed instantaneously—and a wild 
adoration filled her. 

“ Yes, Eve come from the mine, and I am so awfully 
glad to see you again.” He took her hand now, and 
shook it, and he held the little soft fingers tight. 
“ Nadine, oh, I have longed for this moment. We 
have so much to explain to each other. . . And he 
bent and looked into her eyes, his filled with fond 
tenderness. 

Across the hall in the smoking-room Mr. Howard B. 
Hopper was drinking his own health with three or four 
hilarious friends whom he had collected. They had 
been chaffing him about the state of a Benedict—and 
how would it fit in with his affair with Polly? His 
tongue went into his cheek—as he drank to his last 
night’s freedom, and his morrow’s bondage. 

“Not much!” he assured the boys. “Guess I’ll 
keep both.” 

And this was greeted with a roar of appreciation. 

Then this immaculate fiance came rapidly back to 
find Nadine, and arrived on the instant that Bayard 
held her hand. 

He was rather too drunk to take in the whole mean¬ 
ing of their two faces, but he did grasp that here was 
a fellow turning a soft eye upon his property. So he 
slipped his arm familiarly into Nadine’s and said 
boisterously: 

“ I’m back, Peachy.” 


THE GREAT MOMENT 285 

Bayard’s eyes flashed grey fire. Who was this im¬ 
possible beast ? 

Nadine went white as her pearl dress. 

“ Introduce me, sweetie/’ Mr. Hopper hiccupped. 

“ This is my fiance—Mr. Hopper—Mr. Delaval ”— 
the poor child blurted out. 

Bayard’s habit of self-control served him, but the 
blood left his face: “ You—are going to be married ? ” 
he gasped. 

Nadine could not speak for a moment, she nodded 
—and then, “ Yes—to-morrow,” she whispered 
brokenly. 

Bayard was stunned. “ Allow me to congratulate 
you,” he said with withering iciness, stepping back a 
pace. Mr. Hopper grasped who he was. 

“ Say, we’ll be husbands-in-law,” he laughed 
thickly, enchanted at being able to get off this joke— 
and he came forward, and thrust out his right hand, 
and with the other slapped Bayard’s shoulder. 

Nadine’s little face was piteous, her strange blue 
eyes were filled with a world of misery and rebellion, 
and despair. But Bayard was too stunned to be moved 
by their message. How dared they bring him here to 
learn this ? 

The worst part of his nature came uppermost, he 
bowed sarcastically and taking Nadine’s hand in mock 
homage: 

“ I hope you will be as happy as I had thought to 
make you, Miss Pelham,” he said; and then he dropped 
it, and turned upon his heel. 

Thus does wounded pride make fools of us all and 
cause us often to lose that which we most desire in life. 


CHAPTER XXXII 


B AYARD strode through the hall, never looking back 
or noticing the crowd. He passed various old 
friends of his quite close, but did not even perceive them. 
They looked after him and wondered at his grim set 
face. 

“ Why, that’s Bayard Delaval,” some said. “ What 
is he doing here. Was he not the hero of this English 
girl’s escapade out West? ” 

Heads were put together. 

Bayard recked not of the gossip. A mad rage 
was holding him. What was the meaning of it all? 
They had deliberately brought him back from Nevada 
knowing that on the morrow Nadine was to wed this 
incredible brute. What was his name? Hopper. 
Hopper—that was the man who had given the party 
at which Nadine had created such a talk. Then blind 
fury shook him, his thoughts became incoherent; he 
just wanted to curse every one concerned. Reason 
had ceased to work. He passed into the outer hall, and 
secured his hat and coat. He would return to the 
Willard, and catch the express to New York. Hell, he 
felt, was the place he would have wished to book for! 

Nadine, left alone with her fiance, staggered for a 
second. . . . He had returned—her Knight Bayard— 
returned not knowing she was going to be married— 
and he had said there were things to explain. Oh, the 
agony of it! And he was more attractive than ever, 
and she loved him wildly, and he had gone—where? 
286 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


287 


Perhaps to find Sadie? Where? Where? She did 
not hear Mr. Hopper speaking to her, or notice that he 
had put his hand round her shoulder. Her eyes were 
straining not to lose sight of Bayard’s tall figure dis¬ 
appearing in the crowd. 

She took a step forward, and from there she could 
see that he was making for the entrance hall. 

He was going away—out of her life, and she would 
never see him again! All the wild passions of her 
nature surged up. She flung the fat hand off her 
shoulder, and hissed at her fiance, showing all her strong 
white teeth—and if her father had been there, he would 
have seen the vision all over again of Nada biting her 
gipsy master’s arm. 

Howard B. Hopper stood back completely cowed 
for the moment, he had never seen anything so fierce 
as this in his life. 

“ Get out of my sight,” Nadine whispered hoarsely, 
“ I want to be alone.” 

And she started forward determined to gain her 
room. 

She almost rushed through the crowd to the stair¬ 
case—Mr. Hopper following her. She passed the 
couples on the landing where the stairs divided, and 
at last reached the gallery, and went through the velvet 
curtains to the corridor, where her sitting-room and 
bedroom were. 

“Nadine! Peachy!” the perturbed fiance called 
in vain. For when she had gained the sitting-room 
she slammed the door in his face. 

He swore aloud and knocked on the panel, but the 
key turned in the lock, and that was all the answer he 


288 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


received. So he bit his fingers through his glove—he 
would have bitten his nails if he could. Then he went 
back again into the gallery to think. 

There it seemed that another drink would be the 
only thing to clear his head, so he returned to the refresh¬ 
ment room below in search of one. 

Nadine after she had locked the door walked up 
and down the room. 

No. No pain she had yet been made to suffer 
equalled the pain of this. 

To have seen him once more, and to have lost him 
again. She would not bear it. She stopped in her 
restless pacing, which suggested some wild thing resent¬ 
ing its cage. She leaned against the table which held • 
the lamp, she felt almost faint, and her eye caught sight 
of The Story of Bayard which lay there under some 
other books. 

She picked it up. 

Her Knight! She opened the leaves and took out 
the snap-shot that she had taken of Bayard at Albu¬ 
querque. It was rather a bad photograph—but it was 
he. She kissed it fondly and pressed it to her bare 
neck. Then her brain began to work. 

He must be staying in Washington ? Where ? With 
friends ? What friends ? She began her excited pacing 
again. Perhaps he was at an hotel? Which one? She 
rushed over to the telephone and picked up the book. 
Her hands were shaking so she could hardly hold it. 

She found the number of the Shoreham, but it 
seemed long before the answer came. No, there was 
no Mr. Delaval staying there. 

She looked up the Willard. If he was at an hotel 


THE GREAT MOMENT 289 

at all he must be at either of these two. Would he 
have had time to have returned there though ? 

Yes, it was not very far off. 

At last she got the connection. Yes, the telephone 
clerk said, Mr. Delaval was staying there. No, he was 
not in his room. 

At that very moment Bayard was taking his key 
from the reception clerk and going towards the lift. 

“ Oh, please ring again up to his apartment,” 
Nadine cried, and the obliging girl rang and rang. 

Bayard heard the last sound as he opened his door. 
But before he could get to the instrument the clerk 
had rung off, and was answering Nadine from below. 

“ No reply from Mr. Delaval’s room.” 

Bayard called down. “ There was some one ringing 
when I came in.” 

“ Yes, but the party’s gone, Mr. Delaval,” came the 
answer, “ and we don’t know the number to call.” 

Who could be ringing him? It did not strike him 
that it might be Nadine. He had many friends in 
Washington. He flung his hat and coat down on the 
bed, and then he put on a smoking-jacket, and began 
rapidly to pack. Only a few moments passed, how¬ 
ever, before his well-trained reason commenced to 
reassert itself. . . . There must have been some method 
in what looked like Mr. Bronson’s madness? Could 
it have been that he hoped that he, Bayard would be 
in time to prevent this awful crime? 

Nadine had not looked so very happy about it. 
Indeed, now he could think more clearly, there had 
been anguish in her eyes. Had he failed her again 
through his temper and his pride? 

He stopped dead short in his folding of a coat. 

19 


290 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


The marriage was not accomplished yet, and there 
would still be time to take her away consenting—or 
unconsenting, he added with clenched teeth! He would 
save her—save her from that ugly fate, and hold her 
for his own. 

There was the midnight train to Wilmington, and 
there a licence could be obtained in an hour or so, and 
she should be his wife on the mor r ow—not Hopper’s. 
He was himself at last—and a ruler, and he would claim 
the woman who was made to be his mate! Now what 
would be the best way to carry out his plan ? 

He had been worse than a fool to go off in a rage. 
The reception would certainly continue for two hours 
longer. He would dress again and return there, and 
find his beloved, and make her come away with him 
—now, this very night! 

He had just begun to take off his smoking-coat when 
there was a knock at the door. 

* * * * * 

When Nadine heard the telephone girl’s final answer 
she dropped the instrument in despair. Then she threw 
everything to the winds. She would go and find him— 
she would wait at the Willard until he did come in. 
What did she care for anything more in the world! 
She rushed into her bedroom and seized a fur cloak— 
it was of soft dark mink and completely enveloped her. 
Her father had given it to her only that morning. She 
would not touch the Hopper magnificence. She peeped 
cautiously into the passage. There was no one in sight. 
She would get away down the side staircase, and out 
at a side door. Round in that street the motors would 
be waiting. Adala Meeking’s chauffeur would know 
her, she could call him at once. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


291 


Mr. Hopper, fortified by a strong whisky, had come 
up again to wait outside Nadine’s door—and he caught 
sight of the cloak and the back of her head going down 
the passage as he came through the curtains. He 
rushed back, he would face her on the ground floor by 
going round the other way, so he hurried down the 
main staircase and through the company with scant 
ceremony, but a friend caught him here and there, and 
he did not reach the side entrance, after having secured 
his hat and coat, in time to circumvent Nadine. He saw 
her get into Adala Meeking’s motor before he could enter 
his own. 

Where was she going? To the Meeking house? 
He’d know! She shouldn’t put anything over on him! 

So he gave orders for his Pierce-Arrow to follow 
the other car, and then he swore as only he could swear. 

Nadine, crouching back on the cushions of her 
friend’s coupe, only knew one thought—one wild deter¬ 
mined thought: 

Bayard. To go to Bayard! 

She had never been to an hotel alone in her life, 
and it was now past eleven o’clock. She was beyond 
timidity though. She walked boldly up to the desk 
and asked the number of Mr. Delaval’s room. The 
clerk gave it, and she went straight to the lift, her heart 
beating to suffocation when she reached the suite, down 
the long passage, the little page preceding her; she called 
the boy and gave him a dollar, and told him to go. Then 
she paused a moment, and then knocked at the door. 
Bayard pulled his smoking-coat on again and went and 
opened it. 

Who could it be at this time of night? 


292 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


Then when he saw who it was: “ Nadine! ” he cried, 
overcome with mad joy. 

“ My darling! My darling child,” and she was in 
his strong arms, clasped close to him. But just as it 
had been on the canyon, before his lips could meet hers 
—an interruption came—and this time a doubly unwel¬ 
come one in the person of Howard B. Hopper, who had 
followed on the heels of his fleeting fiancee, and had 
come up in the very next lift. 

Jealous rage convulsed his coarse face, but his early 
business training told him that the show down had come, 
and that he would not emerge triumphant from the situa¬ 
tion, so he had better make the best of it, and secure 
what advantage he could. 

Bayard held Nadine with one arm and faced this 
intruder fiercely. 

“ Well,” Mr. Hopper drawled insolently. “ I guess 
all I’ll get is the ring! ” 

Nadine drew herself up, and took the huge diamond 
from her finger, and handed it to him. 

“ Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Hopper,” she cried. 

He took the ring with a sardonic smile. “ Yes— 
you are!” he hurled at her—and then he went out 
banging the door! 

And so they were alone once more, these two who 
had loved and been severed and now met again after 
much pain. 

“ Never to part any more,” Bayard said, when he 
could speak, for a moment or so after Mr. Hopper had 
left them, the mad joy of holding his little sweetheart 
-—of pressing passionate kisses upon her warm young 
lips—had blotted out all else. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


293 


“ No, never any more,” Nadine responded ecstati¬ 
cally. “ Here I am, and here I am going to stay; I am 
not going back to-night, or ever again—I am yours.” 

“ Honey—Sweetheart — Wife! ” Bayard cried 

wildly and strained her again to his heart. 

Then they sat down upon the hard sofa still clasped 
close, and told each other everything, and when there 
was not a single shadow between them, they began to 
make a plan. 

“We will go right back to your shack, and I will 
learn to cook and keep house for you, Bayard, and be 
a real miner’s wife,” Nadine said fondly, rubbing her 
cheek up and down his coat, in the way she had done 
when she was unknowing, as they drove back to the 
Justice of the Peace, in the dawn. 

And her words gave a great thrill to Bayard! Here 
would be a chance of testing her love, and then revelling 
in its glory! It had always been a thought of his that 
he would not tell her that he had riches as great as any¬ 
thing she had known. She would come away with him 
thinking she was going to the hard life at the mine 1 

“ You are not afraid of the future with me, are you 
sweetheart?” he asked; but there was no anxiety in 
his tone. 

“Afraid?—of course not! It is you who should 
be afraid of having such a bad cook! ” 

“ Do you think we shall have to get married again ? ” 
she went on. “ I seem to have taken a horror for rings 
and ceremonies and things like that! ” 

He held her to him fondly. 

“ Even hairpin rings! ” and with an air of master¬ 
fulness, as though he had a right to touch his own 


294 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


property, he pulled one of the pearl-topped pins out 
of her hair. She nestled up to him, and gave him her 
tiny hand. That tiny, rather helpless hand which al¬ 
ways drew him so strongly! He twisted the wire up, 
leaving the pearl as a stone. 

Nadine watched him. 

He slipped the grotesque gage on her small left third 
finger, and she kissed it as though it had been the rarest 
jewel! 

“ Are we married now? ” she asked. Her eyes in¬ 
toxicated him. His voice was a little deeper as he 
answered: 

“No, not yet; we shan’t be actually married until 
I take you home.” 

“ Where’s home? ” But she was playing with his 
hair now, and beginning all the maddening little love 
caresses which she had given him the night in the shack. 
He felt that he must use all his self-control to be able 
to carry out the vow which he had made in the Gold 
Rock Hotel. 

Only when all circumstances should be perfection 
should their honeymoon begin. Now they must talk 
sensibly, as there was very little time. 

“ Home is just a little old house down in Virginia, 
not two hundred miles from here. We will go there 
first, before we go back to the mine.” 

“ Yes.” Nadine would willingly have gone to Tim- 
buctoo—or the infernal regions—had he suggested it. 
For her everything he said and did was right. The 
primitive gipsy part of her had found a master at last! 
A master whom she adored and was determined never 
to leave again. 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


295 


“ There is a place called Wilmington where you 
can get a licence in a minute almost, we must catch the 
one o’clock express—we shall be there in the morning 
and have the knot tied—then we’ll head back here and 
go on to Beechwood in Virginia—my funny old bit 
of a barn—and there, beloved darling, we’ll have the 
realest honeymoon two lovers ever had! The maples 
will all be turning, and the beeches too! You can’t 
think what the colours are down there! ” 

Nadine’s blue eyes were like liquid stars suffused 
with passionate love. 

She never thought to ask a question as to what 
she was to do about her clothes to go away in! From 
now onward she would never have to settle anything 
for herself again. Oh, the bliss of it! 

“ There will be no time for you to go back and 
change, honey,” Bayard said in a minute or two, because 
coherent conversation was so often interrupted by 
caresses! “We shall have to go straight to the station 
from here. What will you do about a hat ? The cloak’s 
all right, it will be fine.” 

“ I’ll think—while you go and pay your bill and 
order a taxi ”—joyous anticipation was in her tone. 

“ Yes, and I must do some telephoning downstairs,” 
he told her. “ Now I hate to leave you even for these 
few minutes. If anyone comes to the door when I am 
away, don’t open it. I will be as quick as I can.” 

If Nadine could have heard what the telephone mes¬ 
sages were she would have been greatly surprised; but 
she was too busy arranging a head-gear to think of any¬ 
thing else. When Bayard left her she began searching 
among his things on the dressing-table for a pair of 
scissors and some pins. These found, she deliberately 


296 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


cut off the fat piece of ermine which had been on her 
train, and all the strings of pearls which were fastened 
to it spread about the floor! Trifles like that did not 
trouble her. 

With deft fingers she twisted the lovely white fur 
into a toque; then she pulled down the elaborate Italian 
coiffure and coiled her black curls into their own simple 
knot. The cunning little hat was immensely becoming. 
Then she cut off the second row of ermine—and more 
pearls strewed the floor—and now her dress was train¬ 
less, and would be entirely hidden by the coat. The 
second bit of the fur she fastened round her bare throat. 
And when the mink wrap was on, and pulled round her 
childish figure, nothing more attractive as a bride to go 
away with could have been imagined for a man! There 
only remained her silver and pearl slippers, with their 
four-inch heels, which were rather remarkable! But 
people did wear such odd things nowadays—perhaps 
these would not be too noticeable after all! She pranced 
up and down delightedly in front of the pier-glass fixed 
in the wardrobe door. 

And below, her lover was telephoning to the Crom- 
bies’ house. He first spoke to Mr. Bronson, who for¬ 
tunately happened to have been near, and came at once 
to the phone. 

“ I don’t know what you brought me here for, except 
to do what I have done in any case! Nadine and I 
are making a bolt of it to Wilmington and will be mar¬ 
ried in the morning. When we are safely off, let the 
family know.” This was the substance of his communi¬ 
cation, and Elihu Bronson gave a delighted reply. Then 
Bayard asked if he could speak to Augustine—and his 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


297 


orders to her were precise. She was to proceed in the 
morning—and he told her the train to Beechwood, War¬ 
rington, Virginia, with Miss Pelham’s things. “ Have 
her loveliest outfit laid out for to-morrow night for 
dinner. She will arrive about six in the evening and 
will be Mrs. Bayard Delaval by that time! ” 

Augustine nearly shrieked with surprise. 

“ And above all not one word to anyone. You un¬ 
derstand ! ” 

The romance of the thing delighted the maid, and 
Monsieur Delaval was after all a bel homme —and Mon¬ 
sieur Hopper, however rich, could never have been 
called a gentleman! and she could understand any young 
lady being in love with Monsieur Delaval—and no one 
knew better than she did that her mistress had always 
had a beguin that way! And her church did not approve 
of divorces even among these Protestants—so—it was 
all for the best in the end! The Bon Dieu satisfied, and 
every one besides! She would not breathe a word, and 
she would be there! 

The telephoning completed, a telegram was sent to a 
certain widowed aunt, and a certain silver-haired gentle¬ 
man—with the address of Beechwood, Virginia. 

“ Am bringing you my bride to-morrow night, will 
wire train. Make us a great reception. Love. Bayard.” 

Now all would be in readiness, and he would only 
have to keep up the bluff for eighteen hours more—and 
then! Well, it was just too divine to think about! And 
having paid his bill, and ordered the taxi, he returned to 
his little girl. 


CHAPTER XXXIII 


A CRY of surprised delight came from Bayard when 
^ he caught sight of Nadine in her travelling cos¬ 
tume, and there had to be so many kisses, and such 
delightful things said, that it was a wonder that they 
did not miss the train. 

Bayard had his own packing to do, and delicious as 
Nadine’s help was, it did not accelerate matters! 

But at last they were at the station. The hotel had 
sent on a porter to get their places. A drawing-room 
was out of the question at the last moment like that, one 
upper, and one lower berth, but not under the same 
pair of green curtains, had been the only possible things 
to secure! Nadine was convulsed with laughter about 
it all. So she would sleep in that way she had thought 
so very comic on their journey to Chicago—from New 
York, and it was a fat motherly female who would have 
the berth over her, and not Bayard! Well, never mind! 
It all added to the fun of the thing. She was not going 
to make any difficulties—and allowed herself to be con¬ 
ducted there by the darkie porter, and then said good¬ 
night to her Beloved—and crawled into bed! 

She did not dare to undress, but just lay there in 
her fur coat. 

Oh! the joy, joy, joy, of everything! And she must 
get accustomed to travelling with the masses—since she 
was only going to be a mining engineer’s wife. For 
of course now her father would not give her all the 
quantity of money she had had, ever since she had been 
in Washington. They would have to live on Bayard’s 
salary, which probably could not be very much. There 
298 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


299 


was not a doubt or fear in her heart. The shack on the 
mountain-side seemed to her fond imagination all that 
she could desire—since it would be his and hers —alone! 
No regrets for past luxury came to her—and very soon, 
tired out with excitement and happiness, the thick black 
lashes rested on her flushed cheeks, and she was in the 
land of blissful dreams. 

* * * * * 

And so they were married next morning at Wilming¬ 
ton and were once more on the train on their way back 
to Virginia. 

And what fun it had all been! Bayard had pur¬ 
posely kept things as light and gay as possible. He 
would not allow himself to be sentimental or give him¬ 
self too much opportunity to make love. All that must 
be for the afterwards—when they had arrived safely 
at his home. And so for their breakfast they had joked 
like two school children. And even during the cere¬ 
mony they had hardly been serious—Nadine insisting 
upon their using the hairpin pearl ring. 

But as they came out, and back into the taxi which 
waited for them, she whispered to her newly made 
husband: 

“ Bayard, the first money that we can save up you 
shall buy me a little narrow sapphire one, like Sadie 
has in diamonds. But I did not feel I would be really 
married to you without this dear old wire thing! ” 

He held her little hand to his arm very tightly, but 
he did not speak then. 

He purposely did not try to engage a drawing-room 
for the return journey—which was by day. She must 
think he was not rich enough. So they went straight 
to the station after the wedding and in the train they 
sat among all the other people on the straight-up seats. 


300 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


The weather had grown hot again, and Nadine was 
almost suffocated in the fur coat, which she did not dare 
to take off or show too much of her magnificent pearl 
dress. 

She grew very tired at last—and went to sleep up 
against Bayard’s shoulder. 

He held her with his arm—and the tenderest love 
filled him. Here was triumph for a man! She was 
coming away with him apparently to a life in the wilds 
of hardship, and she had only seemed to think it was 
all perfect joy! 

And so the day passed. 

And towards sunset they reached their destination. 
And then at the little station a motor was waiting for 
them. 

“ Sent by a friend of mine! ” Bayard said. 

All this country was so beautiful with the turning 
autumn tints—and they got into the car and lay back 
in the comfortable seats. The darkie driver was a 
new man’ ; and had not known Bayard before, so there 
were no effusive greetings as would certainly have been 
the case had he been one of the Beechwood old retainers. 

“ How divine it all is, isn’t it! ” Nadine exclaimed. 
“ And don’t you think perhaps as we pass through the 
town we had better stop and buy me a frock, and some 
shoes, Bayard ? I could not help you much in any work 
in this when we get to the barn.” He clasped her tight. 
Every proof of her love and confidence in him was 
making him feel more deeply. Ah! what would it be 
like when he could let himself go, and tell her of all 
the wild passion he felt! 

“ Oh, to-morrow will be time enough for that, 
honey. I want to go straight on this evening—so as 


THE GREAT MOMENT 301 

to show you the view from the crest of the hill before 
the light goes/’ 

It was always only to do what Bayard wanted which 
pleased Nadine. If he preferred her in her pearl gown 
for their first evening alone, that was just as it should 
be. And no doubt he could lend her a pajama suit to 
sleep in! And then she remembered with an unpleasant 
twinge the pink silk garments of Mr. Howard B. Hop¬ 
per ! and suddenly she buried her face against Bayard’s 
shoulder. 

“ Oh, I have such a lot of stupid things to tell you 
that I did when I was unhappy,” she whispered. But 
he bent down and kissed her; they had come into the 
beech woods now skirting the little town. 

“ I do not want to know of them, sweetheart; what¬ 
ever you did, was my fault for leaving you all alone.” 

“ Well, there is one thing I never did, Bayard—I 
never let Mr. Hopper kiss me—only my cheek the first 
day when he asked me to marry him. I always felt even 
through everything that I only belonged to you.” 

“ My darling, my little girl—and once I swore that 
I should be your only love—and that if a man could 
hold a woman I would hold Nadine—and then I let 
wounded vanity take you from me. But it has not been 
for long! ” 

“ And I have never loved anyone else in all my 
life—and I have never ceased to love you, and I never 
shall! ” 

* * * * * 

They came to the crest of the hill presently from 
whence Beechwood could be seen, and when they 
reached the curve Bayard made the chauffeur stop the 
car, and he lifted Nadine down. 


302 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


“ I want you to come with me along the path, honey, 
and I will show you our home.” 

She clung to him gladly—full of interest and excite¬ 
ment. And when they passed beyond the turn, and 
out of sight of the darkie, Bayard picked her up and 
carried her—her tiny feet in their silver and pearl slip¬ 
pers were hardly suited to the rough road. 

He clasped her like a baby, her light weight as noth¬ 
ing in his strong arms, and in a minute they reached an 
old fence, with a tree stump beside it, and on this he 
set her down, and stood with his arm round her as she 
sat there. 

It was an exquisite view which their eyes gazed 
upon. Sheer down below a deep valley filled with 
beeches, just beginning to turn towards gold, and up on 
the opposite hill the top of a big old rambling white 
southern house could be seen—nestling in what looked 
to English eyes to be park-like land. 

But nearer the valley, and in the middle distance, a 
little negro shanty jutted out—with a shingle lean-to 
at its side. 

Bayard pointed before him with his free hand—the 
other was holding her to him. 

“ There is my home.” 

Nadines eyes were fixed on the shanty which she 
thought he meant. And for one single instant she felt 
a faint shock and then, she put out her arms and encircled 
his neck. 

“ Bayard, I am glad it is so tiny—I love you—I love 
you—and you must teach me how to keep it, and how 
to make you happy there, my darling one.” 

He saw in an instant her mistake. He had not meant 
to deceive her. This had been the moment he had been 
waiting for, when he should have the joy of showing 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


303 


her his home—but now it was augmented a hundredfold. 

Here she was willing to go and live with him—fond 
and loving and contented—in Uncle Ephraim’s cabin! 
—and after Pelham Court! This was love indeed—no 
man could crave for more! 

He framed her little olive-ivory face in his hands 
and looked deep into her blue eyes. And his own filled 
with moisture, so great was his emotion. 

“ My God! ” he whispered worshippingly. “ Nadine 
—My soul.” 

And then their lips met in a long, long kiss of rapture. 

“ Come,” he said a few moments after, “ we must be 
getting on.” 

And he picked her up in his arms again to carry her 
back to the car. 

But looking over his shoulder Nadine exclaimed: 

“ There’s smoke coming out of the chimney, Bayard. 
Is some one there? ” 

“ Yes, they will be preparing supper for us. Come 
along! ” 

And then they laughed joyously when they were 
in the car. 

The coloured chauffeur took them at a great pace 
now, and in a minute or two they seemed to be sweep¬ 
ing through white-painted open gates, and up a gravel 
drive, bordered by giant beech trees. 

“ But Bayard, isn’t he going the wrong way? Oh! ” 

For they had come round a bend and were at the 
front door of a great white house in the old colonial 
style. 

And standing under the portico were a stately old 
lady and gentleman, and behind them a group of old 
darkie servants grinning with joy. 

Nadine clung to her husband timidlv she was over- 


304 


THE GREAT MOMENT 


come with the surprise. But what a welcome they 
had! And how delightful the old hall looked with its 
great open fireplace filled with blazing logs. And how 
courtly the greeting of the splendid old southern gentle¬ 
man to his new daughter-in-law! 

“ We’ve had runaway marriage, Aunt Sylvia,” 
Bayard said, laughing joyously. “ See, Nadine is still 
in her swell party clothes! ” 

Such delight to all concerned! And Nadine was 
embraced and laughed over—and then, with Bayard’s 
arm around her, she was taken through the hall, amidst 
the bowing merry servants, up the broad old stairs and 
to a room all dear old chintzes and old mahogany furni¬ 
ture polished for a hundred years by willing darkie 
hands. And it all smelt of roses and lavender, for great 
bouquets of both flowers were there. 

And out on the bed was laid Nadine’s loveliest tea- 
gown, and all her finest under-things—and beyond in 
the bathroom she could see Augustine pouring the scent 
into her bath! 

“ Oh, Bayard, I am so happy—so happy! ” she cried 
tremulously. “ But I would have loved you just the 
same had it been only the shack.” 

“ And now we are really married,” he said as he 
held her to his heart—wild passion in his eyes. “ And 
I will show you how I adore you, darling little girl. 
How I worship your trust and belief in me—My honey 
—My little Queen! ” 

And then he sang softly the end of Montrose’s song: 

“ I’ll serve thee in such noble ways 
As ne’er was known before; 

I’ll deck and crown thy head with bays 
And love thee more and more!” 


THE END 


































































